JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — In game two of the series against the Axmen (2-5), the Doughboys (3-4) got off to another hot start but let up the lead in the middle innings, dropping their second straight loss, 11-8.
Kingsport started the scoring at the top of the first after attacking Johnson City's pitching early, with singles from BJ Gibson, Cash Williams, and then an RBI single knocking one in from Dylan Passo. Doughboys pitcher Jayce Rollins got out of it with a strikeout and a groundout.
Johnson City responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the second when Nate Eisfelder drilled a triple to lead off the inning. Zach Porter drove him in on a fielder's choice, but that wouldn't be Porter's biggest swing of the night.
In the bottom of the third, after Kingsport stole in the top, Jackson Geiger drilled his second homer of the season for a two-run shot. Porter backed him up with his own second homer of the season, 389 feet, giving the Doughboys a commanding 5-2 lead.
Kingsport struck back and swung all of the momentum to its side with a six-run top of the fifth. Garrett Luett homered for the second time of Axmen's season, a solo shot that traveled 374 feet to right field.
But the runs continued to pour in for Kingsport in the inning. After Dylan Passo walked and Tanner Kilgore got hit by a pitch, Jacob Parr and Brock Silvers drove them in with two RBI singles in a row.
Easton Beach notched a single of his own for the second RBI of his season, then Gibson extended the lead even more with a two-RBI single. Four RBI singles and five total hits added up to the six-run inning, giving the Axmen a heavy advantage.
The Kingsport pitching duo of Blaine Larkin, Landon Waugh, and Michael Savarese struck out 10 total Doughboy batters. They also got out of some tough situations, as Johnson City stranded four runners in the final three innings.
However, the Doughboys showed up in the batter's box in the bottom of the eighth. Eli Thurmond led it off with his second triple of the season, and Kenyon Hughes drove him in with a hard-hit single.
Holden Pantier also had an RBI triple, as Johnson City put up three runs in the eighth and gave itself some momentum for the final inning. But Kingsport's Savarese closed the door with three strikeouts on four batters faced.
Notables:
● Holden Pantier had a great second game with the Doughboys, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run of his own.
● Jackson Geiger and Zach Porter both drilled their second homers of the season in the same inning.
● Eli Thurmond and Nate Eisfelder both had triples, with Eisfelder adding two runs and Thurmond two walks.
● Jayce Rollins, Tristan Bristow, and Dylan Christensen all looked great on the mound. As a trio, they struck out six batters on only four walks.
Up Next:
Johnson City prepares for a two-game set against the River Riders. Game 1 is June 13 at 7:00 p.m. EST in Elizabethton, with Game 2 on June 14 at 7:00 p.m. EST at TVA Credit Union Ballpark.
You can get your tickets at https://www.appyleague.com/johnson-city/tickets and keep up with all of the Doughboys' action on our Instagram, @jc_doughboys.
