KINGSPORT, Tenn. - It was the first game of the second month of the season and the Axmen caught fire, knocking the socks off Burlington 15-5.
The Axmen wasted no time in attacking reigning pitcher of the week Ryan Hench as Colin Larson led the game off with a double. Larson then scored off a base hit from Kam Durnin.
In the next half inning, Burlington then responded with a two-run inning of their own with an Orlando Fernandez RBI triple, and an RBI single from Bromley Thornton.
Burlington held the 2-1 lead over the Axmen as the bottom of the second inning began. Kingsport then got the bats going red-hot, where the hits would not stop. The Axmen scored seven runs on eight hits and the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week was removed before he finished the second inning.
The 8-2 lead grew with a Mason Swinney single that scored a run. Then, in the fifth, Durnin turned on the first pitch he saw and gave it a ride over the left field wall for a three-run homer.
Burlington bounced back in the sixth, but in the seventh, a walk fest ensued, ruining the chances for the Burlington comeback as the Axmen brought three across the plate with consecutive bases loaded walks.
The three runs in the seventh inning ended the game by mercy rule, giving Kingsport their first win of the week, this month, and their first win against Burlington.
Could July be the beginning of a heat wave in Kingsport? The Axmen take sole possession of second place in the West with the victory.
