PULASKI, Va. — The Johnson City Doughboys delivered a 12-run, 10-hit performance in a dominant 12-4 win over the Pulaski River Turtles on Opening Night on Thursday.

The Doughboys opened up the scoring in the first inning with an RBI double from Eli Thurmond after a Michael Holt base on balls two batters prior.

Then Johnson City showed off its power with two home runs in the top of the second, from Jackson Geiger and Michael Holt. Holt’s impressive longball travelled 452 feet.

The River Turtles struggled to get any offense going over the first four innings, managing only one base runner due to a hit by pitch in the top of the fourth. Jayce Rollins got the start and pitched two innings while retiring six straight batters.

Then, Hiram Lewis came in for two innings and struck out four batters while not allowing any hits.

The River Turtles scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh with three hits, including two doubles. This cut the lead for Johnson City to three, but the duo of JR Fordham and Dylan Christensen shut down the River Turtle’s attempt at a comeback.

A five-run ninth due to three straight walks, a hit-by-pitch and a bases-clearing double from Geiger gave the Doughboys some valuable insurance and the Doughboys were able to coast to a lopsided victory to start the three-game series against the River Turtles.

Notables:

• Holt went 2-for-2 with a home run, three RBI, a double and three walks.
• Geiger went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI, a double and a single.
• Six different Doughboys recorded a hit, with eight different Doughboys scoring a run.
• The pitching staff only gave up three earned runs on six hits, with eight strikeouts total.

Next up:

The Johnson City Doughboys will look to continue the offensive momentum in Game 2 of the series on Friday at 7 p.m. against Pulaski.