The Kingsport Axmen beat the Princeton Whistlepigs, 10-5, on Thursday night. Kingsport (28-13) scored 10 runs for the second straight game.
The first run of the game was a Sam Petersen solo home run. This was Petersen’s fifth home run of the season. He went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Princeton (18-25) responded with three runs in the bottom of the first, all of which came on home runs.
The Axmen cut the lead to one on a Nate Anderson RBI single in the top of the third, but Princeton also scored in the third, making it a 4-2 game.
After scoring three runs in the top of the fifth and regaining a one-run advantage, Kingsport would never surrender the lead for the remainder of the game. Payton Allen singled home Shea McGahan and Kendall Diggs hit an RBI single and another run scored on a throwing error on the Diggs hit.
Diggs, Allen, McGahan, Anderson and Petersen all recorded multi-hit games.
No runs were scored in the fifth and sixth innings. Axmen starting pitcher Cole Hales (4-1, 4.11 ERA) finished with a quality outing of six innings pitched and picked up his fourth win of the season.
Kingsport blew the game open with a five-run seventh inning. Anderson hit a three-run blast over the centerfield wall to give the Axmen their first multi-run lead of the night at 8-4. Anderson went 2-for-5 with his first home run and four RBI. Jake Perry and McGahan hit back-to-back RBI sacrifice flies for the ninth and tenth Kingsport runs of the game.
The Whistlepigs scored only one run in the ninth and Kingsport won their series opener by five runs. The Axmen are now 15 games above .500.
Kingsport looks to complete the two-game series sweep over Princeton on Friday night.
