BLUEFIELD, W. Va. – The Johnson City Doughboys lost due to the mercy rule, 19-2, after seven innings against Bluefield, as they were unable to find consistency on either end of the game.

From the very beginning, and after a scoreless first, Bluefield took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the second. Matthew Robaugh recorded his first double of the summer, Andrew Cross drove in a run on a single, and Mason Ault notched a hit of his own.

Then, Ryan Morel showed off the jets with his second triple of the season to drive in two more, followed by another hit in the inning, this time from Alex Myers. But Johnson City quickly responded with two of its own in the next frame.

Kenyon Hughes Jr. singled, then after a pair of walks from Nate Eisfelder and Patrick Walsh, a wild pitch brought Hughes Jr. in after he walked it off the night prior. Eli Thurmond jump-started his multi-hit night on a hustle groundball single to make it 4-2 Ridge Runners.

But the home team's offensive detonation came in the bottom of the fourth. Within the fourth and sixth innings, the Ridge Runners tallied 15 runs on 11 hits with 32 total at-bats and nine total walks.

This was highlighted by some key moments from Morel to continue his monster night, having a two-RBI single in the fourth and a double in the fifth.

Myers drove in more runs with an RBI single of his own, Travis Peitz logged his eighth double of the season to drive in two, and Ault added two more hits to his three-hit night.

After the end of six innings, also with quality Ridge Runner pitching that kept the Doughboys scoreless for the final four frames, it was 19-2 with the mercy rule in play.

Walter Urbon continued his hit streak with a single in the top of the seventh, and Geiger notched his first knock as well, but Johnson City was just too far behind to crawl back in.

The Doughboys now move back to .500 at 17-17, with a critical playoff push coming up in the Appalachian League West.

Notables:

• Thurmond had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-2 with two singles, an RBI, and a walk.
• Seven of the nine Johnson City batters notched a hit, with Urbon continuing his impressive series with a knock of his own.
• But the away side left nine runners on base and went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
• The Doughboys' pitching staff gave up 10 walks and 16 hits, struggling to find a rhythm on the mound from the second inning.

Up Next:

The rubber match is set with game three on Thursday, July 16th, at 6:30 p.m. EST. You can listen live to the critical series finale at https://www.appyleague.com/johnson-city/audio.

Also, be sure to follow our Instagram, @jc_doughboys, to stay in the loop all summer long and keep up with the Doughboys all season.