KINGSPORT, Tenn. - The Elizabethton River Riders set a team high in runs on the year on Sunday night as they raced past the Kingsport Axmen by a score of 12-6 in front of a large crowd at Hunter Wright Stadium.
An offensive barrage helped pave the way to the River Rider bullpen, which proved spectacular. Cole Rodriguez and Sean Hollister led the way with a total of five innings, allowing zero total hits and registering five strikeouts.
Kingsport did strike first, with a two-spot in the first off of Miguel Alba, but Elizabethton came back with three runs in the second. Peyton Basler started it, by drilling a two-run home run over the right-field wall as his first home run of the year tied the game at two. Later in the inning, Brendan Jones knocked an RBI single to plate Austin Roccaforte. Jones made his on-base streak 16 games with that knock.
Kingsport put up a four-spot in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 5-3. However, this was the last time Kingsport would lead. In the top of the fourth inning, three straight RBI singles by Avery Owusu-Asiedu, Morgan Colopy and Alex McCoy gave the River Riders a 6-5 lead they would never relinquish.
In the sixth inning, Elizabethton would stretch the lead. With the sacks full and two outs, Peyton Basler lined a single back up the chute to score a pair -- Basler reached base five times on the night. Immediately following that, Connor Price smacked a long home run to left field of the three-run variety to break the game wide open and the score was moved to 11-5.
Elizabethton cruised from there, the blue and yellow adding a run in the eighth on a passed ball, and despite giving up a run in the ninth, they were able to shut the door on the victory and road sweep over Kingsport.
Both teams are back in action tomorrow, this time in Elizabethton and NCCU Ballpark with first pitch slated at 7 p.m. Landry Kyle will get the ball for the River Riders, and you can follow all the action at https://appalachianleague.univtec.com/event/626d7900d05e420cf3b211e7.
