PULASKI, Va. — The Johnson City Doughboys lost Game 3 of the series against the Pulaski River Turtles in a back-and-forth matchup under the lights.

Johnson City struck first in the top of the second after a scoreless first, with two home runs from Nathan Eisfelder and Zach Porter to center field. This gave the Doughboys a 3-0 lead.

But, as they did all series, the River Turtles responded with scoring of their own. Tripp Hannah and Basilio Williams knocked in runs on singles through the middle of the field, while a wild pitch from Cade Julius scored Williams from third.

Then, Pulaski took the lead for the first time in the bottom of the third after a fielding error from the Doughboys, scoring Tre Bryant at the plate. Johnson City responded with a three-run inning in the top of the fourth. Eisfelder notched his second extra-base hit of the night, and Jack Jones followed him up with another double, clearing the basepaths and giving his team a 5-4 lead.

After the River Turtles managed to tie it up in the bottom of the fifth, the Pulaski offense really came alive in the sixth. A six-run inning opened the game right up, starting with a Reggie Samuel II single that scored one.

The big hits for Pulaski were off the bat of Basilio Williams Jr., who lined a single to right to score two, and a monster three-run homer for Noah Toole. This gave the River Turtles an 11-6 lead, and the rest of the game was scoreless due to strong pitching from Ethan Walls and Jake Wise in the late innings.

The Doughboys' pitching staff struggled with free passes, giving up 12 of them total throughout the night. This led to 18 runners in scoring position for Pulaski, compared to Johnson City’s nine.

The River Turtles made sure to capitalize on their opportunities in Game 3 of the series, finishing with 11 hits and a 7-for-18 line with runners in scoring position. The Doughboys couldn’t complete the sweep, but brought plenty of positives from the weekend back home.

Notables:

• Nate Eisfelder went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI to his name.
• Jack Jones went 1-for-4 with two RBI on a clutch double.
• Zach Porter launched a solo home run for his first of the season, finishing 1-for-3 and adding a walk.
• Cade Julius looked great on the mound, finishing 2.2 innings with zero earned runs on only one hit with two strikeouts.

Next Up
The Doughboys will take on the Elizabethton River Riders for their home opener at TVA Credit Union Ballpark on Monday, June 8 at 7:00 p.m. Be sure to get your tickets at https://www.appyleague.com/johnson-city/tickets/single-game and don’t miss the magnet schedule giveaway, presented by Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union.