JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The Doughboys didn't carry a lead in their matchup against the River Riders until they walked off against Elizabethton in the ninth inning for a 6-5 victory on Friday night.
The River Riders took control early on as Elizabethton scored five runs in the first inning to kick off the night.
Johnson City answered back in the bottom of the frame with Gunner Boree homering to shorten the deficit to 5-1.
Felix Morin settled down after his rough first-inning outing, finding his way through five innings and not allowing a runner to reach third base.
Johnson City climbed back into the game in the fourth with a pair of hard-hit balls from Carson Kerce and Braden Spano bringing in the Doughboys' second run of the game.
The middle innings would prove key for the Doughboys as Johnson City used another Boree hit to bring home another run in the fifth, shortening the deficit to just two.
In the sixth inning, the bullpen took over and didn't miss a beat as Ryan Smith threw 1 1/2 scoreless innings.
The game would flip in the sixth, as the Doughboys would take advantage of an Elizabethton error to bring in a pair of runs, tying the game up for the first time all night.
The bullpen would stay nearly perfect, with Bryce McCain coming into strand runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh and then work a 1-2-3 eighth.
In the ninth inning it was Griffin Howell’s turn to spin a zero. The River Riders went down in order as the Doughboys' pitchers retired the last seven they faced in the game.
The ninth would be the decider for the Doughboys with the top of the lineup getting a chance to come in clutch.
With the bases loaded and one out, Braden Spano approached the plate.
Spano would work his count with two strikes before sending a long sacrifice fly into center field, bringing Chase Bloomer in as the winning run for Johnson City.
The 3,807 in TVA Credit Union Ballpark went home happy as the Doughboys split the series against Elizabethton, moving them to 11-9 on the season.
Up nest, the Doughboys will be back in action at home Saturday night against the first-place Axmen.
