Johnson City, TN — In a tightly-contested seven-inning affair, the Elizabethton River Riders used small ball and timely hustle to edge out a 4-2 victory over the Johnson City Doughboys on Sunday evening at TVA Credit Union Ballpark. With the win, Elizabethton secured a weekend series split with the Doughboys and bounced back from Saturday’s loss.
The Rundown:
After two quiet innings from both sides, Elizabethton struck first in the third. Cadyn Karl walked, stole second and third, and scored on a wild pitch to give the River Riders a 1-0 lead despite recording no hits in the inning.
Johnson City answered in the fourth. A pair of two-out singles from Trey Majette and Ryan Jones tied the game at 1-1, and the Doughboys threatened to take the lead with runners at second and third, but Elizabethton’s defense held firm to keep the score even.
The turning point came in the sixth when back-to-back wild pitches by Charles Mau with two outs allowed both Terrance Bowen and Jack Torbett to score, giving Elizabethton a 3-1 lead. Jackson Berry followed with a single and advanced on another wild pitch but was left stranded.
Majette made it a one-run game again in the bottom half, launching a solo homer to right to run the score to 3-2. But Elizabethton manufactured an insurance run in the top of the seventh, again via a wild pitch, as Eli Evans scored after a walk and aggressive baserunning.
Charlie Spoonhour made his first start of the season for the River Riders and threw two scoreless innings without allowing a hit. Jake Yeager came on in relief and finished the game, going five strong innings and allowing two earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and just one walk.
Notables:
- Karl reached base three times, stole two bases and scored a run.
- Karl extended his hitting streak to four games.
- Yeager tied his longest outing of the season with five innings
- Elizabethton scored three of its four runs on wild pitches or passed balls.
Up Next:
The River Riders return home against the Greeneville Flyboys on Tuesday, July 22. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. from Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark. The game will stream live on AppyLeague.com.
