APPALACHIAN LEAGUE: Princeton Rays Power Past BriSox

Bristol Herald Courier

BRISTOL, Va. — Princeton catcher Mayobanex Acosta hurt the Bristol White Sox at the plate and behind it.

Acosta went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and also threw out two baserunners attempting to steal as the Princeton Rays collected a 7-2 victory over the BriSox on Saturday night at DeVault Stadium.

Princeton jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings and held on for the victory. First baseman Eli Sonoqui went 3-for-5 with two RBIs in the win, while leadoff hitter Brian Bryles collected two hits.

Princeton’s Tim Beckham, the No. 1 pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in June’s MLB Amateur Draft, was 1-for-4 with a RBI, but also struck out three times. Meanwhile, Kyle Ayers (1-2, 4.66 ERA) picked up the win after 4 1/3 innings of strong relief.

Third baseman John Kateon led Bristol with two hits and also drove in a run. Bristol starting pitcher Murillo Gouvea (3-1, 8.29 ERA) suffered the loss and didn’t get out of the first inning.

Relief pitcher Michael Lucas also struggled. The lone bright spot in Bristol’s bullpen was Dan Puls, who allowed one run over five innings.

Bristol has an off day today. Manager Bobby Thigpen will lead the BriSox into a six-game road trip beginning Monday, that makes stops in Bluefield and Danville.