ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — A high scoring, lengthy back-and-forth battle ended in the Doughboys favor, 18-16, at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark on Saturday night, as Johnson City claimed both games against Elizabethton this week.
How it Happened:
In the first inning, Jackson Geiger notched an RBI single for the Doughboys, and Terrance Bowen smashed a 453-foot two-run homer for the River Riders. The score was 2-1 River Riders after one.
Elizabethton added two more runs in the second. Kyle Boylston grounded a two-run single to left to make it 4-1.
The Doughboys kept pace in the third. Noah Cox lined an RBI double, and Jackson Geiger followed with an RBI double himself to cut the River Riders’ lead to 4-3.
It appeared that Elizabethton would pull away in the fourth. Bowen started the scoring that inning with a big two-run double, Austin Rose then roped an RBI single, and Cole Pladson grounded an RBI single to center. The River Rider lead was up to 8-3 at that point.
However, Johnson City's offense started to catch fire in the fifth. Eli Thurmond got an RBI single off a softly hit ball and Anthony Temesvary took advantage of the short fence in right field for a three-run home run. The lead for Elizabethton was cut down to one, 8-7.
The River Riders managed to respond right away. Boylston's sacrifice groundout and Bowen's RBI single made it 10-7 Elizabethton. However, that was not a comfortable lead in this game whatsoever.
If the offense for Johnson City started to catch fire in the fifth, they proved to be engulfed in flames in the sixth. Patrick Walsh led things off with a solo homer, then Geiger, Thurmond and Segler all got RBIs off free passes.
After that, Temesvary smacked an RBI single, Seigler scored during a double play and Walsh smashed the second solo homer of the inning. An eight-run frame thus flipped the score from 10-7 River Riders to 15-10 Doughboys after six.
If that wasn't enough for Johnson City, they added three more runs in the seventh. Geiger hit a line drive two-run bomb, and Walsh got hit with the bases loaded to score another run. It seemed like the 18-10 lead would be too much for Elizabethton to handle, but they showed they had no quit in them on this evening in particular.
In the eighth, Pladson squared up a clutch two-run single. The River Riders needed a lot more than that to come back though, as they still trailed, 18-12, after eight.
The big epic comeback nearly came to fruition in the ninth. Elizabethton drew two straight walks before Carter Johnstone drove in Noah Haught with a single, and Rose walked in a run with the bases loaded, chasing reliever Josiah Harrison out of the game in a 18-14 contest
With new pitcher Daniel Quintero in and two outs on the board, Jackson Reardon smoked a two-RBI single to make it 18-16 and put himself, the tying runner, on base. A walk from Brady Richardson put Reardon in scoring position, but Haught unfortunately failed to come up clutch, striking out to end the game.
Game Notes:
- Terrance Bowen continued to stay hot as he went 3-for-4 with five RBI.
- This was the highest scoring game for Elizabethton in 2026; 34 combined runs.
- The contest lasted four hours and 11 minutes, the longest River Riders game of the season.
- Elizabethton used six pitchers in the loss.
Up Next:
The River Riders (17-14) will try to snap their losing streak against the Greeneville Flyboys (14-16) at Eastman Credit Union Field on Sunday. First pitch in the seven-inning matchup is set for 2 p.m.
