ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. - It was a tough couple of days for the Elizabethton River Riders as they were swept in Danville, Va., against the Danville Otterbots, on Monday by a 3-3 score with the Otterbots winning on a tiebreaker and then Tuesday afternoon by a score of 10-3.
Game 1 of the series stayed tied until the fourth inning, when Ty Acker of Danville hit a ground ball down the third baseline that trickled past the infield to score two runs as Acker slid into second safely with a double. Then with runners on the corners later in the inning, Corbin Lanowitz took off to steal second base and the throw went into centerfield with Acker trotting home from third base.
The River Riders got one back in the fifth as they loaded the bases and Austin Roccaforte (Houston Baptist) hit a sacrifice-fly to center to score a run. Next inning, Alex McCoy (UMES) hit a long home run to center field off the hill for a tape measure shot of the solo variety, bringing Elizabethton within a run.
In the ninth inning, with two runners on base and the River Riders trailing by a run, Pepe Soto (Rogers State) smacked a single into left field to score Avery Owusu-Asiedu (SIUE) to tie the game.
After the game went into the tiebreaker with it being tied at three after regulation and Danville choosing offense in extra innings, the Otterbots walked it off on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded to plate the game-winning run. Elizabethton only scratched out two hits on the night and struggled to take offensive momentum. The pitching was phenomenal, led by the bullpen with Jess Miller (Centre College), Maddox Pennington (Wabash Valley College) and Ryan Widmeier (RCSJ-Glouchester) allowing two hits and no runs over five innings.
On Tuesday, Elizabethton once again squared off against Danville with an early 11 a.m. start. Danville got on the board in the first inning on an RBI single off of starter Alex Brewer for the 1-0 lead. However, Elizabethton would get off the mat. Following an error and a stolen base, Harrison Rodgers (Colorado Mesa) ripped a single through the middle to plate Issac Williams (New Orleans) and make the score tied at one. The next batter Morgan Colopy (Indiana) ripped a double into the left field corner to plate Rodgers and give the River Riders their first lead of the series. Later in the inning, Roccaforte hit a single to right field, scoring Colopy and making the score 3-1.
After allowing a run in the first, Alex Brewer (Lipscomb) really settled in and pitched a gem, throwing six innings of one-run baseball allowing five hits and a walk while striking out four batters.
However, in the seventh, things unraveled for the Blue and Yellow. After loading the bases with no outs, the Otterbots brought it to within one with a hit-by-pitch and then tied the game on an infield single. Then, a passed ball gave Danville their first lead in a massive inning, where they would put an eight spot on the board to take a commanding 9-3 lead and also added a run in the eighth to make the final score 10-3. The River Riders dropped to 8-4 following the series while Danville improved to 7-5.
The River Riders continue the road trip tomorrow as they head to Burlington to take on the Sock Puppets (10-1). Catch the action online and listen to the call from Burlington Athletic Stadium with Reese Lannon online at appyleague.com/elizabethton/audio.
