Press Release: - Burlington 6, Kingsport 4

What goes around apparently comes around. One night after a bad defensive inning doomed the Royals, Kingsport's poor glove work cost the Mets.



Burlington scored five unearned runs in the top of the first and held on from there, evening up a three-game series with Kingsport behind a 6-4 triumph Thursday night at Hunter-Wright Stadium.

Kingsport's shortstop Brandon Brown committed two errors to put men at first and third with one down. Geoff Baldwin's RBI single put the Royals (30-33) up 1-0 and began a run parade. Yunior Figueroa followed suit with an RBI double, and Alex Llanos continued the run with a two-run single. Two batters later, Drew Robertson made it 5-0 with Burlington's fourth run-producing hit of the frame.


Starter Leonel Santiago (6-2) maintained Burlington's lead through six and a third innings. The righty allowed four runs and whiffed six to up his total to 66, which is the top mark on the club. Behind Santiago, JJ Leaper earned his second save of the campaign after holding the Mets (27-34) scoreless through two and two-thirds innings.



Kingsport made it interesting by chipping away at the Royals' advantage. Albert Cordero's eighth homer of the season made it 5-1 in the second. The Mets plated two in the fifth and, after Edul Escobar's sixth-inning RBI double gave the Royals a 6-3 bulge, one in the seventh to trim the deficit to two.


In the eighth, the Mets had the tying runs in scoring position, but Leaper induced a ground out by Ismael Tijerina to end Kingsport's last legitimate threat.



Michael Hebert (3-7) allowed all six runs, with only one being earned, over six innings. Hunter Carnevale worked the final three frames and stranded four Royals in scoring position.