ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. - The Johnson City Doughboys fell short in a close game against the Elizabethton River Riders on Friday, 4-3.
Dane Morrow got the scoring started by himself at the top of the first. Morrow crushed a solo homer into the River Riders' bullpen and put Johnson City ahead early.
Caleb Gipson kept the runs coming in the second inning, roping a double into centerfield and scoring Camden Kaufman from first after he singled just before. Johnson City then had the lead at 2-0.
Elizabethton tied the game up in the bottom of the same inning. Cadyn Karl and Eli Evans both walked to put runners on first and second, with two outs, Tu'alau Wolfgramm got a bloop hit to land fair on the right-field line. Scoring both Karl and Evans and knotting the game up at two runs apiece.
After a battle between starting pitchers, the next run wouldn't come until the fifth. Wolfgramm unloaded on the first pitch of his second at-bat and lined a home run over left field to put the River Riders ahead by a single run.
In the bottom of the sixth, Ethan Ball doubled for his first hit of the ballgame before Evans brought him right in with an RBI single down the left field line. Elizabethton led 4-2.
The Doughboys tried to hang in the game, scoring one run in the top of the eighth off another Gipson RBI double, scoring Brandon Chang from second base.
After holding the River Riders scoreless in the bottom of the eighth, Johnson City couldn't get the tying run across in the ninth and fell to Elizabethton in a 4-3 final score.
The Doughboys will stay on the road over the weekend with a series against the Danville Otterbots. The first game of the series is scheduled for Saturday, with the first pitch at 7 p.m.
