JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Johnson City Doughboys relied on clutch hitting and a valiant comeback in the late innings to take game three of the series, 9-8, against the Danville Otterbots on Sunday afternoon.

Former Appalachian Pitcher of the Week Hunter Crain was given the nod with another Sunday start and began it with two straight 1-2-3 innings with three strikeouts. His offense backed him up in the bottom of the first with three runs on two hits with two Danville errors.

Eli Thurmond reached on an error, Noah Cox drove a single to right, then Nate Eisfelder reached on another Otterbots error. Jackson Geiger delivered one RBI with a fielder's choice, and Jack Jones brought in two with a double down the left-field line to make it 3-0 early.

Then, the Danville offense that had put up 28 combined runs in the first two games finally came alive in the top of the third. The Otterbots started things out with two walks and a single from Maximo Martinez, then Jet Berry drove one in on a groundout.

The heart of the order in Brody Jindra and Devon Wilkes both drilled RBI singles into the outfield, with Tyler Ness backing them up with a two-run double. After 10 at-bats and four total hits, it was Danville that took a 5-3 lead.

Johnson City responded with one in the bottom of the frame, with Nate Eisfelder tying the single-season Doughboy record in home runs with his ninth of the season. Eisfelder now stands tied atop the Appalachian League as well with nine round-trippers, continuing his undeniable stretch.

Justin Smarr came out of the bullpen for the Doughboys, only giving up one earned run in 2 1/3 innings and a 1-2-3 of his own in the fifth. Also, the Doughboys' offense backed him up with a high-scoring inning of their own in the bottom of the inning.

Thurmond doubled to lead off, Eisfelder walked, and Geiger got involved with his first hit on an RBI single to start it. Blake Herrell was intentionally walked to load the bases with a new pitcher coming in and Jones back at the plate.

The first baseman, in his final game for the home side, delivered a two-RBI double to the opposite side this time. The knock was only eight feet from being a grand slam, but gave the Doughboys a lead back in crunch time.

But again the Otterbots were never out, with two runs of their own in the top of the sixth. Jindra tallied his third RBI single of the night to bring one in, while Wilkes drove in yet another run with a sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the sixth, Gabe Tanous started things off by getting hit by a pitch, while Thurmond and Cox both got out to put two outs on the scoreboard. One of the hottest hitters in the league, Eisfelder drove in the eventual game-winning run on an RBI single.

With the Doughboys dugout going crazy along with the home fans, Garrett Mackowiak trotted out of the bullpen for another opportunity to shut the door. The lefty gained the win, going 1-2-3 in the final frame during the Sunday matinee with two strikeouts.

The high-five line commenced on the mound, and Johnson City bounced back in the win column, surviving the sweep until the very end. The team now moves to 23-1 and extends its lead in second place in the Appy League West.

Notables:

• Eisfelder continued his incredible tear with a home run and the game-winning knock in the bottom of the sixth with a single.
• Jones, in his last game in the uniform, recorded two doubles in clutch scenarios and added four RBI.
• The pitching duo of Smarr and Mackowiak recorded three combined strikeouts, both gaining 1-2-3 innings in the late scenarios.

Up Next:

After a league-wide off day on Monday, July 27th, the Doughboys will head to Greeneville to take on the Flyboys for the final three games of the season. The first two games are on the road, then Johnson City returns home on Thursday, July 30th at 7:00 p.m.

For the first two games of the series, you can listen live to the critical Appy West matchup at https://www.appyleague.com/johnson-city/audio.

For the finale, you can reserve your spot at https://www.appyleague.com/johnson-city/tickets. Also, be sure to follow our Instagram, @jc_doughboys, to see our postgame interview with the player of the game and keep up with the team the rest of the season!