KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Bristol came out aggressive in the first inning, loading the bases on two walks and a wild pitch. Brooks Wright drew a walk to bring in the first run and Drew Culbertson followed with a sac-fly to make it 2-0. A third run scored on another single, giving the State Liners a 3-0 lead out of the gate.
Kingsport answered with a run in the bottom half, but Bristol's starter Brandon Peterson worked out of a jam, stranding two runners in scoring position. Kingsport eventually tied it in the third, taking advantage of two bases-loaded walks after multiple free passes and a wild pitch.
Bristol reclaimed the lead in the fourth with a single from Collin Dobson, scoring Brady Gray to make it 3-2. They kept the pressure on in the fifth, as Culbertson doubled to left to score Olin Ward, and Cole Young's sac fly extended the lead to 5-2.
The State Liners tacked on two more in the sixth on an RBI sac-fly from Ward and a run-scoring single from Wright. Although Wright was out stretching for second, the damage was done with Bristol leading 7-3.
Kingsport began to claw back in the bottom of the sixth. A pickoff error and a pair of hits brought home two runs, cutting the deficit to 7-4. In the eighth, Dobson continued his monster night with a double, eventually scoring on an error by Kingsport’s third baseman to give Bristol an 8-4 cushion.
Despite a late surge from Kingsport, including an RBI double and a fielder's choice, Charlie Atkinson came on to get the final two outs and secure the save. Olin Ward's sprinting grab in right field sealed the deal and the State Liners escaped with a tight 8-6 win.
With that, the State Liners’ record improves to 8-7 and will go up against the Axmen tomorrow with the first pitch scheduled for 7:00 pm.
