BY JOHNNY WILSON
Sports Correspondent
BRISTOL, Va. – The Minnesota Twins have one of the most respected franchises in professional baseball, generally known to play the game the way it was intended.
And down on the farm, in the rookie Appalachian League, the Elizabethton Twins always seem to make the organization proud.
The annual Appy League strongboys took care of business again Saturday night at Boyce Cox Field, posting a 5-2 win over homstanding Bristol, the Twins’ fifth win in six games against the BriSox this
season.
The second game of the scheduled doubleheader was held up after four innings due to lightning, with the Twins holding a 1-0 advantage at presstime.
During the delay longtime Twins manager Ray Smith took a break from a card game to discuss his take on the last 23 years, all of which he’s spent in Elizabethton.
“The ballclubs I’ve been allowed to manage have developed a little bit of a tradition of success,’’ said Smith, whose club is once again right at the top of the Appy League standings with a 15-10 record. “I
think that probably refects the quality of our scouting staff, because they get us good players with good makeup.
“We kinda apply the Twins’ way of stressing fundamentals out here, doing the little things right. And we’ve been able to have success through the years.’’
Last night the Twins received stellar pitching from righthander Manuel Soliman, who went five scoreless innings before leaving in the sixth with a 4-2 lead upon giving up a two-run homer to John Spatola.
A 20-year-old Dominican Republic native, Soliman gave up just four hits..
“Hey, this is only the second year this kid has been a pitcher - he came up as a third baseman,’’ said Smith, who played in Elizabethton in 1977 before spending eight big-league seasons as a catcher in
Minnesota. “He’s still learning how to pitch and he has a long way to go, but he’s got a good arm, he’s attack-oriented and he’s in the [strike] zone with three pitches.’’
Offensively the Twins scored twice in the fourth off losing pitcher Jacob Petricka, before adding three runs off reliever Jamaal Hollis over the final two innings of the seven-inning game.
Daniel Ortiz had two of Elizabethton’s 12 basehits and drove in a pair of runs. Brian Burke had three hits and an RBI, while Nick Lockwood had two hits and an RBI.
It was a typical outing for a typical Elizabethton Twins team.
“I keep saying it, but one thing that’s passed down the line all the way to our Gulf Coast rookie league team is that we really emphasize fundamentals,’’ Smith reiterated. “Even on these commuter trips,
all of our guys are out there early in the day working on the basics.
“That really is the fabric of this organization, from the rookie league all the way up the line to the big league club. Down here we’re all about developing players, developing players.’’
The BriSox, who got a pair of hits from Robert Cummings, host the Twins again tonight
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