GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – For the second straight matchup, the Greeneville Flyboys responded to an offensive outburst by the Bristol State Liners, sweeping their division foe with a 7-5 win on Tuesday night.
The State Liners (3-9) took an early lead in the top of the third after an Eric Erato (NIU) RBI single scored Blake Wood (Florida State College-Jacksonville) to push Bristol out to a 1-0 advantage.
After starting the bottom of the third with a leadoff double by Will Taylor (Clemson) and a walk by Aidan Cannaday (Catawba Valley CC), Avery Collins (Cleveland State JC) gave the Flyboys (5-7) their first lead of the night with a two-run single, giving Greeneville the 2-1 advantage.
Collins padded the lead for Greeneville in the bottom of the fifth inning, hitting his first home run of the season over the right field fence. The two-run blast pushed the Flyboy lead to 4-1.
Bristol answered in the top of the sixth inning, with Braxton Church (Appalachian State) hitting a two-out triple and then scoring off an error, slicing the Greeneville lead in half to 4-2.
The Liners took their second lead of the night in the top of the eighth inning. Luke Francisco (Carson-Newman) cut the lead to one with an RBI single to score Erato. A sacrifice fly to center field by Manny Garza (Rice) scored Church to tie the game. Bristol retook the lead after Francisco scored on a single by Wood, slinging the State Liners in front by a score of 5-4.
After Alex Diaz (Cloud County CC) reached on an error, Will Taylor tied the game back up at five runs apiece in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI double. Cannaday responded with a double of his own, scoring Will Taylor and giving the lead right back to Greeneville. Collins continued his sweltering day at the plate, closing out the frame with an RBI single to give Greeneville a 7-5 lead going into the final frame.
Despite allowing a one-out walk, Shane Tucker (Long Island) earned his first win of the season for the Flyboys, forcing a ground out and striking out his third batter of the contest to end the game and give Greeneville their first series sweep of the season.
Collins paced the Flyboys on offense, going 3-for-5 with five RBI, one run scored and a home run in the game. Cannaday went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Erato led the State Liners, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Tucker (1-0) went 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit, walking one and striking out a trio of batters. Jack Liberio Jr (RCSJ-Cumberlands) started the contest for the Flyboys, going six innings, giving up two runs, one of which was earned, off five hits, walking one and striking out another. Caleb Jones (Winthrop) went 1 1/3 innings in relief, giving up three runs, two of those being earned, off three hits and striking out one batter.
Nick Kalafut (0-1) (San Diego City College) was handed the loss, going 2/3 of an inning, allowing three runs, none of which were earned, off four hits. Jeffrey Gonzalez (Indian River College) started the game for the State Liners, going 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs off seven hits, walking three and striking out four. Will Hunt (Radford) went 2 2/3 innings in relief, walking a pair and striking out two. Zach Radigan (Colorado Northwestern CC) closed out the game for Bristol, going 1/3 of an inning with a strikeout.
Next up, the Flyboys will close out their six-game homestand with a pair of games against the Princeton Whistlepigs. The series begins Wednesday at 7 p.m. It’s Silver Slugger Wednesday, with fans ages 55 or older receiving half-priced tickets. Fans can also earn a free ticket to the game by donating school supplies at the gate to Good Samaritan Ministries.
