JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Just nine days ago, Elizabethton was in first place in the West Division. After losing 10-4 to Johnson City at TVA Credit Union Ballpark on Saturday, the River Riders now need a ton of help to simply make the Appy League playoffs.

How it Happened:

With two outs in the first, Nate Eisfelder smoked a solo homer over the scoreboard. Johnson City kept that 1-0 advantage through the first two innings.

Eisfelder then crushed another homer, this time a 396-foot two run shot, once again over the scoreboard, in the third. Later in the inning, Anthony Temesvary blasted a two-out 390-foot two-run shot. The Doughboys were all over the River Riders early, 5-0, after three innings of play.

Elizabethton did eventually score, and it appeared magnets were dragging the ball over the top of the scoreboard. Miles Shore smashed a two-run homer to the same spot as Eisfelder and Temesvary's bombs. Despite that, the River Riders loaded the bases later in the inning without scoring and had to settle for a 5-2 score when the fourth ended.

Then, a run was scored for the first time without a home run being involved. Temesvary earned his third RBI of the day with a double in the fifth. Johnson City lead 6-2 until the seventh.

In the seventh, Elizabethton first left the bases loaded without scoring in the top of the inning, and Blake Herrell drove in Eli Thurmond with a sacrifice groundout to make it 7-2 by the end of the frame.

A rally was attempted in the Eighth by the River Riders. Elizabethton loaded the bases with no outs before Jackson Reardon roped an RBI single. Then, Luke Billings rolled a sacrifice groundout to score Cole Pladson from third.

If the River Riders were going to have a chance, they needed to keep the 7-4 score from growing in the bottom of the inning.

That did not happen, however. Noah Cox got hit by a pitch, Kenyon Hughes Jr. lined a single and Thurmond drilled a ball to center field. Pladson tried to make a play on the ball but could not as the ball ricocheted away from him off the 410-foot center field wall. Cox, Hughes Jr. and Thurmond all scored on the inside the park home run. The lead grew to 10-4 entering the ninth.

The Elizabethton offense then failed to score in the nineth, sealing their eighth straight loss.

Game Notes:

• Eisfelder, Thurmond and Temesvary all had three RBIs.
• The Doughboys outhit the River Riders,14-10.
• Eisfelder had four homers entering the day; he had two in tonight's matchup.
• Elizabethton used four pitchers in the loss.

Up Next:

The River Riders (17-20) desperately need a win against Greeneville (17-19) at Eastman Credit Union Field. First pitch for the seven-inning Sunday matchup is set for 2 p.m.