JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — The Johnson City Doughboys came out on top in a nail-biting victory over the Kingsport Axmen on Wednesday.
Kingsport struck first in the top of the third. After working a walk, Alex Kelsey found his way home on a Jace Roossien single into center field, before Colin Larson followed right behind on a Kam Durnin groundout to third. Ben Tryon added on with his seventh double of the season, bringing home Roossien to give Kingsport an early 3-0 lead.
Johnson City answered in the bottom of the inning, with Nate Conner roping a single into right field and scoring Camden Kaufman from second after his single and stolen base.
Johnson City would then take the lead in the fourth. After back-to-back walks from Cameron Dube and Trey Majette, Logan Fyffe stepped up and crushed his first home run of the season over the left field wall to put the Doughboys out in front.
The Axmen kept pace in the very next inning. After a leadoff double from Durnin, it was Landis Davila bringing Durnin home on a sacrifice fly to left field, tying the ballgame back at four.
Braxton Baird came up huge for his first hit in the Appy League in the home half of the fifth with an RBI single that squeezed its way into right field and scored Dane Morrow, who had reached base on a walk.
The Axmen were not backing down and stayed on the heels of the Doughboys. Phoenix McFarland lined a double to the wall in left field and scored PJ Jones from first after their walk to tie the game right back up for a second time after Johnson City took the lead.
In the eighth, Davila put the Axmen back in front with another sacrifice fly — this time to center field, where Larson was waiting for the tag-up to cross home plate.
Down one in the bottom of the eighth, Derrick Mitchell and Majette both had singles to put runners on the corners with one out. In another big spot for Fyffe, he turned on a pitch and sent it down the left field line into the corner. Mitchell and Majette both turned on the jets and flew their way home, giving Johnson City the lead.
Johnson City got its three outs needed in the top of the ninth on just three batters faced. McFarland grounded out to short before Alex Kelsey knocked his first hit of the game into right for a single. Larson then put a ball on the ground to short that ended in a 6-4-3 double play between Morrow, Fyffe and Majette to end the ballgame.
Johnson City will hit the road on Thursday for its first trip to Elizabethton for a game against the River Riders. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
