KINGSPORT, Tenn. — The Axmen completed their series victory over Elizabethton by holding the River Riders to only a single run in a 4-1 win Thursday night.
Kingsport’s pitching dominated throughout the contest, surrendering only one run in the first on an infield single from Jackson Reardon.
Elizabethton may have started with the lead, but it did not last long. Cash Williams homered in the first, which gave Kingsport a 2-1 lead. That was Williams’ first home run of the campaign.
After the first inning, Kingsport’s pitching dialed in. Jameson Napper threw for three more innings, not letting another run score.
The Axmen’s offense added two more runs in the second, growing the lead to three runs.
To Elizabethton’s credit, after the first two innings, the Axmen wouldn’t score again, as the River Riders’ bullpen began to dominate.
Keegan Roach was the first reliever out of the ‘pen, and he continued where Napper left off, tossing three scoreless innings in relief and earning the eventual win.
His counterpart Riley Puckett tossed four scoreless innings in relief, keeping the game tight all the way through.
Things weren’t all perfect for the Axmen, as the River Riders put runners on the corners in the eighth, bringing what could have been the tying run to the plate.
With only one out Chase Kriebel toed the rubber, striking out the first batter he faced, and then induced a flyout to end the inning.
Kriebel stayed out for the ninth as well, once again shutting the River Riders down.
Up next, Kingsport moves into a weekend series with the Pulaski River Turtles, as the Axmen are now tied for second place in the East.
