Elizabethton, Tenn. — The Elizabethton River Riders nearly pulled off a stunning late-inning comeback on Saturday night but came up just shy in an 8-7 loss to the Pulaski River Turtles at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark. With the loss, the River Riders drop to 15-17 on the season, while the River Turtles improve to 17-14.
The rundown
After a scoreless first inning, Elizabethton broke through in the bottom of the second. Donte Lewis led off with a single and later scored on Jack Ratcliffe’s RBI double. A wild pitch brought in Lenox Lively from third to give the River Riders an early 2-0 lead.
Pulaski answered with a massive top of the fourth. After a wild pitch brought home their first run, Kennedy Drexler launched a grand slam to right-center to flip the score and give the River Turtles a 5-2 advantage. Ty Wisdom added an RBI single in the seventh, and a sacrifice fly from Tre Bryant extended Pulaski’s lead to 7-2 in the eighth.
Then came the fireworks.
In the bottom of the eighth, Elizabethton sent 10 men to the plate. Jordan Crosland walked to start the rally, and three straight hitters reached, including a two-run single by Eli Evans. Ratcliffe followed with a clutch two-RBI single to right to tie the game at 7-7.
But Pulaski responded quickly in the ninth. Ty Wisdom was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on Aden Malpass’s go-ahead double to left. The River Riders threatened again in the ninth after a Crosland single, but a double play and flyout sealed the win for Pulaski.
Crosland continued his hot stretch, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. Evans and Ratcliffe each drove in two, while Ratcliffe also doubled and scored.
On the mound, Joshua Evans started and allowed four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. Charlie Spoonhour, Miguel Bonilla and Cesar Garcia handled the rest of the game in relief, with Garcia taking the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the ninth.
Stat of the Game
6 - Crosland extended his hitting streak to six consecutive games, going 2-for-4 with a double.
Up next
The River Riders return to action Sunday with the final matchup of the 2025 season against the Pulaski River Turtles. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark. The game will be streamed live on AppyLeague.com, it will be a seven-inning contest.
