BLUEFIELD, W. Va. – The Johnson City Doughboys walked off the Bluefield Ridge Runners on Tuesday night, 8-8 in a tiebreaker win, to take game one of the series and strike back in the win column.

Both teams started the scoring with two runs each in the first inning. For the Doughboys, Walter Urbon started things off with a first-pitch single, Nate Eisfelder walked, and then Eli Thurmond drove one in on an RBI sacrifice fly.

Anthony Temesvary, who has been on a tear at the plate recently, drove in the second run with an RBI single to center field. But the Ridge Runners drove in the same amount with two critical errors from Johnson City and two walks in the frame.

But the Doughboys took the lead back and extended it with a four-run top of the second. Brennon Seigler and Urbon both drew walks, while Kenyon Hughes Jr. drove in one with a single, bringing Eisfelder back to the plate.

The “Ice Man” sent his second home run in two straight games to left field, a three-run shot that carried 389 feet for a towering shot. This put the Doughboys up 6-2 and continued Eisfelder’s incredible stretch in the batter’s box.

Bluefield responded in the bottom of the frame with one run of its own when Alex Myers jump-started his impressive night with an RBI single. Doughboys starter Hiram Lewis had a quality start, going four innings with only two earned runs and three strikeouts.

Johnson City continued to score in the top of the fourth when Urbon singled again for a multi-hit game, and Hughes Jr. walked, bringing Eisfelder to the plate once again. The newest Indiana Hoosier launched a double to the opposite field to finish his day driving in five of the eight Doughboys runs.

But the Bluefield offense, which had put up 28 combined runs in the two games before this one, came alive in the bottom of the fifth. Michael Kalinich singled, Travis Peitz walked, then Corey Watkins drove them all in with a three-run homer of his own.

After another Myers single, the Ridge Runners had cut the lead to just one. In the fifth, they tied it up at eight when Kalinich launched a solo homer, the second in just two frames for the home side.

Incredible pitching from both sides kept both teams scoreless in the final three innings, with Johnson City’s Cy Stephens and Julian Hachem leading the charge with six combined strikeouts.

Hachem, who was just named the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week, shut down Bluefield in the bottom of the ninth with three straight strikeouts while runners were on first and second. The towering lefty single-handedly saved the contest and sent it into the extra-inning tiebreaker.

Johnson City was 1-1 coming into the game in tiebreaker scenarios, with both on the defensive side. But this time, the offense would have to spark the walkoff.

Seigler was the runner on first, and after a hustle single from Gabe Tanous and a perfect sacrifice bunt by Noah Cox, he stood 90 feet away. Hughes Jr. came up to the plate with two outs, in a make-or-break scenario, and saw a wild pitch get behind the catcher.

Seigler came sprinting home, and the entire dugout sprinted out to greet him after the nail-biting victory for the Doughboys. After a back-and-forth battle in the first game between the two foes, Johnson City had the last laugh with a clutch walk-off win.

The team now moves above .500 at 17-16 and currently sits back at 2nd place in the Appalachian League West after the extra-inning triumph.

Notables:

• Eisfelder could not be stopped at the plate, homering in his second straight game for a three-run shot and driving in five of the eight Johnson City runs.
• Urbon had another multi-hit game, this time going 3-for-4 with three runs and a walk.
• Seven of the nine Doughboys in the lineup recorded hits, going 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position and delivering timely hits.
• Stephens and Hachem shut down the Ridge Runners in the closing moments, with three strikeouts each to only three total base runners.

Up Next:

Both teams will reset on Wednesday, July 15th, for game two of the series at 6:30 p.m. EST. You can listen live to the rest of the series at https://www.appyleague.com/johnson-city/audio.

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