Elizabethton dominated on Wednesday in the series finale against the Pulaski River Turtles with a 12-3 win.
Elizabethton (12-18) fell behind for one half-inning against Pulaski (14-16) after Alec DeMartino (UNC Wilmington) singled in the third.
The River Riders responded in their half of the inning with three runs. Adam Magpoc (Boston College) singled to tie the game and Brady Picarelli (Missouri) doubled to give Elizabethton the lead.
Pulaski tied the game in the fourth. Jonathan Holt (Radford) scored on a balk and Kevin Jones (UNC Wilmington) singled. Jones finished with one hit, one RBI and one walk.
The River Riders answered in the fifth, striking for three more runs. Colin Sloan (Yale) walked, Kade Huff (Arizona) hit a sacrifice fly and Jaxon Diamond (Murray State) got walked.
The River Riders delivered the knockout punch in the seventh, striking for six more runs. Sloan hit a home run, Nick Hockemeyer (Purdue Fort Wayne) singled, Diamond singled, Leandro Perez (Bethune-Cookman) walked, Picarelli walked and Huff got walked. Hockemeyer finished as Elizabethton’s top hitter with three hits, one RBI, one walk and two runs scored.
Spencer Powell (University of Virginia at Wise) got the win for the River Riders. He pitched three innings in relief, allowed three hits and struck out two. The River Riders also got one inning from Jacob Pointer (Roane State Community College), two innings from Elijah Karney (New Orleans) and three innings from starter Nash Bingham (University of Virginia at Wise). Bingham allowed one hit and three runs, walked five and struck out two.
Caleb Gallant (Gaston) picked up the loss for Pulaski. He pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief, allowed three runs, three walks and struck out one. The River Turtles also got two innings out of Hunter Howard (Radford), one-third of an inning from Anthony Schatz (Tallahassee Community College) and 1 2/3 innings from Parker Lewin (Minnesota). Nate Gray (Pima Community College) started for Pulaski, allowing five hits, three runs, five walks and struck out four over three and one-third innings. Pulaski pitchers walked 14 River Riders throughout the night.
Elizabethton finished with nine hits and no errors. Pulaski finished with seven hits and no errors.
The River Riders will stay home on Thursday for their first meeting with the Tri-State Coal Cats at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
