JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Pitching was the name of the game for the Doughboys, using just two pitchers in a 5-2 win over Elizabethton.
The game started slow on both sides with just one baserunner reaching in the first two innings of the game.
The third brought a change of pace as Elizabethton used a single and some groundouts to drive in the first run of the day.
Johnson City didn't let the deficit sit for long, Cody Miller found himself at the plate with runners on first and second before sending a single into left, scoring the tying run.
The scoring didn't stop for the Doughboys with Cam King taking advantage of a wild pitch, giving the Doughboys a 2-1 lead.
Johnson City starter Hayden Cooper settled in, working his way out of a jam without allowing a run in the fourth. The Doughboys’ bats backed up Cooper, continuing their scoring in the fourth with Danny Infante driving in a pair on a double, extending the Doughboys lead to 4-1.
Johnson City kept it going in the fifth, stitching together walks and a single for a Jack Pokorak sacrifice fly bringing in another run for the Doughboys.
The Johnson City bats quieted down after the fifth, so it would be up to the pitching staff to hold on to the lead.
Cooper finished his day after six innings, striking out six and giving up just one run. He gave way to Appalachian League ERA leader Trey Cruz.
Trey walked the first runner he faced before sitting down the next five hitters in order into the seventh.
A Johnson City error aided a run in the seventh for Elizabethton, but Cruz worked his way out of the jam.
The River Riders threatened in the eighth, putting runners on second and third, before Cruz used one of his six strikeouts to end the inning.
Johnson City’s bats didn't give any extra support, but it didn't matter as Cruz worked a 1-2-3 ninth, closing out the ballgame with a three-inning save.
The Doughboys closed out the 5-2 win for the 3,940 in attendance, putting the Doughboys back up to a four-game lead in the division, ahead of Elizabethton and Kingsport.
The Doughboys go on the road to face Bristol for the first time this season tomorrow at 6 p.m.
