KINGSPORT, Tenn. — The Kingsport Axmen outlasted the Johnson City Doughboys 5-2 in the West Division Championship to clinch a spot in the Appalachian League final. Dalyn Ellison tossed 5 1/3 innings, surrendering just one run, while three other pitchers helped hold Johnson City to just two runs on the night.

Christian Gross, Brody Carr, and Jude Favela finished off the Doughboys, only allowing one run the rest of the way.

Kingsport tallied ten hits on the night, and while they left the door open more times than they should have, the pitching staff held it down.

The swing that changed the game came in the third inning. Carter Geffre sent a towering shot into center field, securing two runs for the Axmen, making it 3-0. The home run cut Johnson City’s starter Hunter Crain’s day short.

Previously, the only run allowed by Crain was a sacrifice fly from Garrett Luett as the Axmen wanted to jump on the dangerous Doughboys early.

With Crain’s day done, Justin Smarr and Daniel Quintero came in to hold down the fort, securing several scoreless innings during the middle of the contest.

Meanwhile, Ellison was slinging the ball on the hill for the Axmen, surrendering the only run of his night to a Jackson Geiger RBI single.

Ellison even pitched another 1 2/3 innings after that. However, his day closed after surrendering a double to Eli Thurmond, which gave reigning Appalachian League player of the week Nate Eisfelder a chance with a run in scoring position.

With the score 3-1, the Axmen opted for Christian Gross to toss to Eisfelder. Gross pitched around the batter and walked Eisfelder.

With runners on first and second Axmen manager Rick Adair pulled Gross, opting for a lefty-lefty matchup between Carr and the new batter Jackson Geiger.

Carr got a flyout from Geiger to end the inning.

Now the Axmen weren’t out of the clear just yet. Carr loaded the bases in the seventh for Kenyon Hughes Jr., who drew a walk with the bases loaded to make the score 3-2.

Carr got out of the jam without giving up the tying run.

If there were another time for the Axmen bats to come around, it would be after Johnson City pulled within one, and that is exactly what happened.

When in search of a hero, Kingsport found him. Easton Beach’s final at bat of his 3-for-4 night was an RBI double that got down in the gap in right center.

Geffre came around to score, giving the Axmen a lead of 4-2. Beach was caught trying to stretch the double into a triple, emptying the bases.

However the Axmen weren’t satisfied as the new arm for the Doughboys Garrett Mackowiak found himself in a jam.

Seth Farni came up huge with a line drive single up the middle, scoring the fifth run of the night.

Carr made it through the eighth, and tried to get through the ninth, but after a leadoff walk the Axmen put Favela on the mound.

Favela struck the first two batters out that he faced and to end the game, Favela got a soft popup to third base where Luett caught the ball cleanly to secure the Axmen’s championship bid.

The Axmen travel to take on the River Turtles in Pulaski for a winner-take-all championship contest.