GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — The Greeneville Flyboys faltered late Wednesday, surrendering six runs in the top of the ninth inning and losing, 7-6, to close their home series versus the Kingsport Axmen. The Flyboys (18-15) got six shutout innings from lefty Freddy Beruvides (6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K) and led 5-1 going into the ninth inning, but the Axmen (21-14) erupted in fitting fashion.
After being held to four hits in the first eight innings, five straight Kingsport batters hit safely to begin the ninth inning. Shortstop Kam Durnin (3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) led off the inning with a double and came around to score on an RBI single from second baseman Mason Swinney (2-for-4, RBI, 2 R). After hitting a home run in Tuesday’s win over Greeneville, Kingsport first baseman PJ Jones (2-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI) tripled home two runs to put the tying run on third base with nobody out. Catcher Ty Denton (1-for-4, RBI) plated Jones to tie the game at five runs apiece.
After a hit-by-pitch and a walk, Durnin strode to the plate for the second time in the ninth inning. As the last batter faced by Beruvides, Durnin hit into a 5-4-3 double play with two men on base and one out when the Flyboys led 3-0 in the sixth inning, and he looked to make up for a missed opportunity. Durnin did just that, looping a two-run single into shallow right field to give Kingsport a 7-5 lead. He is the first Appalachian League hitter to reach 40 RBIs this season.
Though Flyboys first baseman Ezra McNaughton (2-for-5, HR, RBI, 2 R) hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the ninth, Greeneville failed to rally — it grounded into a double play and struck out to end the game. The Flyboys’ 7-6 loss drops them to 4-9 in July and gives Kingsport a two-game lead in the West Division.
Next up
The Flyboys welcome the Tri-State Coal Cats to Pioneer Park for a three-game series beginning at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The series will begin with the continuation of a suspended game, with the Flyboys leading 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning. A regularly scheduled game will follow. Fans can purchase tickets at flyboysbaseball.com or by calling the Flyboys ticket office at (423) 609-7400. In the event of inclement weather, please stay tuned to @GFlyBoys on Facebook, Instagram and X for updates.
