HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — It was a tight seven-inning Sunday showdown between Kingsport and Tri-State, with the Axmen claiming the win, 3-1, behind a three-run second inning.
Tyler Myatt got the scoring started with a ground ball that went through the legs of second baseman Sam Winsett. Ty Denton then scored Ben Tryon with a sacrifice fly, followed by a Derek Pitts single that scored PJ Jones.
The Axmen carried the three-run lead into the bottom half of the second, but it didn’t stay 3-0 for long—Ryan Maggy hit a leadoff homer 384 feet over the wall in right-center. Jacob Gholston rebounded after giving up the home run to close the second.
What followed was both pitching staffs duking it out. Kenyon Collins made it through four innings for the Coal Cats, while Gholston made it through 4 1/3 innings for the Axmen.
Kenneth Jackson and Joe Gomez ate the rest of the innings for Tri-State, and Liam McCallum, Payton Armour and Tyler Pickens cleaned up for Kingsport. Armour struck two out in the seventh, with Pickens striking out the final batter of the contest.
Kingsport finishes the week with two series wins and a 4-2 record for the slate. The Axmen also claimed their first-ever series at Jack Cook Field. Kingsport is at home all of next week, with a chance to use the momentum to catch up to the first-place Greeneville Flyboys.
