ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. - The River Riders took down Bluefield on Wednesday in a thrilling sudden death after the squads were knotted at two through nine innings.
The River Riders (7-12) took the lead for the first time in the ninth inning but allowed the Ridge Runners (11-8) to tie the game down to their final out. From there, Bluefield failed to score in the sudden death inning.
Elizabethton fell behind in the first inning against the Bluefield Ridge Runners after Noah Smith (Illinois State) notched an RBI single. Starter Caden Carroll (Kennesaw State) pitched five innings, allowing just the one run on three hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
The River Riders, meanwhile, mustered only three hits and five baserunners through the first eight innings.
With the River Riders down to their final two outs in the ninth inning, second baseman Adam Magpoc (Boston College) picked up his first hit. He took third on one wild pitch and scored the tying run on another. Jayden Lobliner (Kansas State) drew a walk and later scored on a fielding error to give Elizabethton the lead.
Bluefield answered in its half of the ninth to tie the game. Down to their final out, Aaron Jamison (West Virginia) singled to right field.
The Ridge Runners chose to hit in sudden death. Down to their final out again, Smith singled to left field, but Armani Guzman (West Virginia) was thrown out at home to end the game.
The River Riders used five pitchers in the game. After Carroll made his first start of the season, Adam Arther (Kansas State) pitched two innings. He allowed two hits and one walk with no runs. Gus Rogers (GateWay Community College) pitched one inning. Sam Novotny (Johnson County Community College) pitched the ninth, allowing three hits with one run and a strikeout. Johnny Montgomery (Allegany College of Maryland) pitched in sudden death. Novotny was hit with a blown save.
Bluefield also brought out five pitchers. Blake Gillespie (Georgia) started for Bluefield, allowing just one hit with eight strikeouts over five innings. Shawn Parnell (Cincinnati) pitched an inning and allowed one walk with one strikeout. Brandon Arnold (Mercyhurst) pitched one inning, allowed two hits and one walk with one strikeout. Jhayden Raineri (Salem University) pitched the eighth with Kaleb Appelbey (Austin Peay) pitching the ninth, allowing two hits, two runs (one earned) and one walk with two strikeouts. Parnell, Arnold and Raineri were all given credit for a hold and Appelbey got hit with a blown save.
Four River Riders recorded a hit. Carlos Irizarry (Penn State Harrisburg) went 1-for-4. Cole Torbett (Middle Tennessee) finished 1-for-4 and Colin Sloan (Yale) went 1-for-3. Lobliner went 0-for-3 with a walk and scored a run. Kain Collins (Charleston Southern) also found a way on base with a walk.
For Bluefield, two different players had multiple hits. Smith finished 2-for-4 with one RBI. Nick English (Kansas State) fwent 2-for-4 and scored a run. Michael Lucarelli (Penn State) was 1-for-3 with a walk, while Danny Perez (New Orleans) finished 1-for-4.
Up next, the River Riders continue their six-game road trip back in Johnson City for another series with the Doughboys on Thursday. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
