The Elizabethton Twins were five runs down and one strike away Monday night before rallying to win the deciding third game of the Appalachian League championship series over the Burlington Royals.

The E-Twins came back from a 6-1 deficit to tie it in the 9th inning. Then they won it on D.J. Hicks' two-out grand slam in the bottom of the 12th.

Said Royals manager Tommy Shields: "It's the worst defeat I've ever experienced in professional baseball. This will take awhile (to get over)."