GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Danville clinched the season series over the Greeneville Flyboys as the Otterbots’ dominant pitching shone once again in a commanding 9–3 victory.
Greeneville starter JT Long ran into trouble in the first inning but worked out of the jam, striking out the side and leaving runners stranded at first and second.
Long found more trouble in the second as catcher Danny Perez reached on a ground-ball single to right field. Moments later, Perez advanced to third after Greeneville catcher Nelson Grajales-Vazquez committed a costly throwing error into the outfield.
Designated hitter Samuel Koerner then drove in Perez with a sacrifice fly to open the scoring and give Danville a 1–0 lead in the top of the second.
In the third, Long allowed singles to center fielder Caleb Ricks and left fielder Kyle Krupp before second baseman Maximo Martinez lined a single into center field to extend Danville’s lead to 3–0.
Kamden Hawks got the start for the Otterbots carrying a 0.00 ERA into the game and kept it intact. Hawks allowed just one hit — a leadoff single in the second inning — while cruising through Greeneville’s lineup. He retired 15 consecutive batters, pitched five innings, struck out three, and earned his first win of the season.
Blane Metz relieved Long and delivered two perfect innings, lowering his ERA to 2.57.
After Metz exited, Tre Jackson entered and struggled with command, issuing four consecutive walks to push Danville’s lead to 4–0.
Koerner followed with an RBI single to make it 5–0. Jackson recovered to strike out the next two batters, but with two outs, Krupp singled past first baseman Matthew Cash, scoring both Perez and outfielder Judson Hartwell to stretch the lead to 7–0.
Greeneville finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth as left fielder Ruben Zuany tripled before designated hitter Evan Williams brought him home with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 7–1.
The Flyboys added another spark in the seventh when right fielder Matthew Kerrigan launched his first home run of the season to trim the lead to five.
Danville put the game out of reach late, plating two runs in the top of the eighth after Krupp’s RBI sequence and back-to-back hits from shortstop Davis Perkins and Martinez stretched the lead to seven.
Greeneville showed some life in the bottom half as Kerrigan delivered an RBI single to score Williams, but the comeback never materialized. The Flyboys were held scoreless the rest of the way as Danville’s bullpen closed the door to secure the 9–3 victory.
Up Next:
Greeneville will face Danville tomorrow, June 21, in a Father’s Day showdown beginning at 2 p.m. EDT to close out the three-game series.
Following an off day on Monday, June 22, the Flyboys will spend the entire week on the road.
Greeneville will first travel to West Virginia for a three-game series against the defending Appalachian League champion Bluefield Ridge Runners.
After that, the Flyboys will head to North Carolina for a two-game road series against the Burlington Sock Puppets.
Greeneville will also take on the USA Stars & Stripes team in Burlington at 3 p.m. EDT.
Tickets are available at flyboysbaseball.com or by calling 423-609-7400. Follow @gflyboys on Facebook, Instagram, and X for updates and weather information.
