JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — The Johnson City Doughboys avoided a comeback by the Tri-State Coal Cats, and the Doughboys won in sudden death.
The Coal Cats opened the scoring in the second inning, after Julio Solier reached on an infield error. After stealing third, Solier scored on a ground ball to second from Sam Winsett, which he beat out for a hit.
The Doughboys wouldn’t let that lead last for long. At the bottom of the same inning, Lleyton Daily hit a sharp ground ball to center field that slipped under the glove of Bishop Quarles. Putting Daily on third after the error and scoring Trey Majette and Nate Conner.
Jose Fernandez added another run on the lead in the third, blasting his fifth homer of the year over the left field wall, making the score 3-1.
In the very next inning, Johnson City would score four more runs, starting with a Landon Smelser single to center field bringing Brandon Chang home to score. Dane Morrow followed it up with a double into center field, bringing home both Daily and Smelser, before Paris Pridgen scored Morrow on a groundout to third.
With a 7-1 lead, the Doughboys were in the driver's seat, but Tri-State wasn’t going down without a fight. Quarles hit his third homer of the year over the right field wall in the fifth, scoring both himself and Jackson Golden. Luke Kosko added on with a groundout to first, bringing Solier home from third.
Willie Hurt added another run for the Doughboys with a ground ball up the middle to center, scoring Smelser, who had reached on a walk. The Coal Cats wiped that run away in the next inning as Michael Rodriguez grounded out to first and scored Golden for a second time.
In the top of the ninth inning, Tri-State battled back from being down three to tie the game up. It all started with another Quarles home run, this time a solo shot to right. Chandler Murray then followed it up with a solo homer himself, and Rodriguez was the tying run that came home on a dropped third strike after he had been walked.
Johnson City could not answer in the bottom of the ninth, and we went to sudden death at the ballpark. Johnson City elected to be on defense. Soon after the first pitch, Sal Mineo was the pinch-runner on first and was caught trying to steal second after sliding over the top of the bag. Cesar Gonzalez lined out to Connor in right, and Kade Foulke struck out Golden to end the game and give Johnson City its second win in sudden death on the year.
The Doughboys will meet the Coal Cats again on Sunday for a 5 p.m. first pitch and a seven-inning game at TVA Credit Union Ballpark.
