ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. – Deacon Pomeroy knew the stakes. He had seen to some extent his teammates falter in similar spots at different points in the early part of the year.
When a run needed to come in to grab a lead, cut into a deficit or create some insurance, it often didn't come.
Burlington entered Wednesday's game with a winning record but were still far from achieving its maximum offensive potential.
Entering Wednesday's game the Sock Puppets were 24-for-116 with runners in scoring position, an average of just .207, officially the second-lowest clip in the Appalachian League.
Yet still, Pomeroy glided into the box with the exuberant confidence and when offered a 1-2 slider, he didn’t miss it.
His second home run of the Appy League campaign travelled 449 feet, off the bat at 105.6 miles per hour and spiraled endlessly into the dark Tennessee night to give Burlington a 8-2 lead in the seventh inning. That ultimately helped the Sock Puppets knot the series at one game apiece with a 9-3 victory. The game moved the Sock Puppets to 6-4 on the season while dropping Elizabethton to 5-6.
The crucial homer gave Pomeroy his second five-RBI night of the season in just seven games played.
On the bump, Burlington received four solid innings from lefty Christian Aiello, who was making his first start of the year. The southpaw continued his ridiculous punchout streak, racking up eight strikeouts and giving him the highest K/9 in the league (minimum: 7 IP) at a staggering 19.44.
Braden Curry, the right-hander from Toledo, made his second appearance and was nearly spotless out of the pen. Curry ran his fastball to 94 mph on 10 different occasions in his three innings, surrendering just one run and striking out five hitters.
Mason Hatcher shut the door for Burlington. The righty tossed two shutout frames, striking out five hitters, including the first four batters he faced.
Outside of the offensive production from Pomeroy, second baseman Cuyler Baxter ripped a two-run double into left in the sixth inning to give the Puppets the lead for good.
Brandon Novy led the way with three hits for Burlington. Novy singled in the second, doubled in the seventh, and added another two-bagger in the ninth.
Also, center fielder Bryce Clavon swiped two bags to extend his season total to nine steals and place him back atop the league leaderboard, one ahead of Danville center fielder Caleb Ricks, who claimed the same feat in Saturday’s game against Burlington.
The series finale between the Sock Puppets and River Riders is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Live updates can be found on X @GoSockPuppets.
