Kingsport, Tenn. – A late offensive surge by the River Riders wasn’t enough to overcome Kingsport’s explosive eighth inning, as Elizabethton fell, 10-6, to the Axmen on Thursday night at Hunter Wright Stadium. The loss drops the River Riders back to .500 at 15-15, while the Axmen improve to 17-13 on the summer.
After taking a 2–1 lead in the top of the third, Elizabethton saw their edge erased in the fourth and never regained control.
Elizabethton opened the scoring on a two-run single from Jackson Berry in the third inning following a walk, an error and a wild pitch that set the table. But Kingsport quickly evened the score in the bottom half when Blake Primrose roped a double to bring home Landis Davila, making it 2-2.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh, when Kam Durnin knocked in the go-ahead run with a single to score Mason Swinney. Then in the eighth, the Axmen blew the game open with a seven-run outburst that included RBI hits from Paul Jones II, Colin Larson and Swinney, as well as a two-run triple off the bat of Derrick Pitts.
Elizabethton mounted a rally of their own in the ninth, stringing together four straight hits, including an RBI single from Luke Donaghey and a two-run double by Jordan Crosland. Jack Torbett added a run on a groundout to make it 10-6, but the comeback effort fell short.
Crosland and Evans led the River Riders at the plate, each collecting two hits. Donaghey, Ratcliffe and Ethan Ball also reached base multiple times.
On the mound, Jake Yeager went four innings for Elizabethton, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts. Relievers Henry Slaby, Preston Allen, Brody Roe and Demarques Thompson combined to cover the final four frames, with Kingsport doing most of its damage against Allen and Roe in the eighth.
Stat of the Game – 11 – Berry extended his hitting streak to 11 consecutive games.
Next Up:
The River Riders (15-15) will look to bounce back as they return to action Friday night for game two against Kingsport (17-13). First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on AppyLeague.com.
