ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — The Elizabethton River Riders extended their win streak to three games on Friday night, defeating the Bluefield Ridge Runners, 7-5, in a tightly contested matchup. The game was a back-and-forth affair, but Elizabethton managed to hold on in the late innings for the win, closing out the series opener with key contributions from both the offense and the bullpen.

The rundown

The River Riders struck first in the bottom of the first, capitalizing on two walks and two hit-by-pitches. After leadoff hitter Jordan Crosland was hit by a pitch and advanced to third, a bases loaded walk to Lenox Lively plated the first run of the game.

Elizabethton tacked on two more runs in the second inning courtesy of sacrifice flies by Crosland and Drew Dickerson.

The Ridge Runners chipped away at Elizabethton’s lead with two runs in the fourth. A sacrifice fly from Colin Guerra and an RBI single from Josh Hines made it a 3-2 game. But Elizabethton answered back in the bottom of the fourth with three more runs, highlighted by a double from Cadyn Karl and a sacrifice fly from Hudson Brown, giving the River Riders a 6-2 lead.

Bluefield didn’t give up easily as it added a run in the fifth inning and another in the sixth. A wild pitch in the sixth and an error on the River Riders' side helped Bluefield inch closer, but ultimately, the game ended with Elizabethton securing a 7-5 win.

The pitching

Henry Slaby (1-0) earned the win for Elizabethton, throwing two innings of solid relief after starter Jojo Franco went 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits. Franco struck out five batters and walked two, while Cameron Owens earned his first save of the season by shutting down Bluefield in the final 1 2/3 innings.

Bluefield's Nick Falla (0–2) took the loss after allowing three runs in just 1 2/3 innings of work, while Chris Daniels and Deaton Oak struggled to keep the game within reach for Bluefield.

Notes

• Crosland extended his hitting streak to five games.
• Crosland finished the homestand going 5-for-9 at the plate with a home run, five RBIs, six runs scored, three walks and a hit-by-pitch.
• Brown picked up an RBI on a crucial sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.
• River Riders catcher Jayden Lobliner was lifted from the game after one inning. Luke Donaghey took his spot in the lineup and went 1-for-3.
• Karl picked up his second double and third RBI of the summer.
• Tua Wolfgramm had his first triple of the season and scored his eighth run.

Stat of the game

3 — The River Riders are on a three-game win streak, their longest of the season.

Next up

The River Riders (5–9) head to Johnson City to face the Doughboys (8-5) at 7 p.m. Saturday. The game will be streamed live on AppyLeague.com.