HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — The Tri-State Coal Cats snapped their three-game losing streak Wednesday night with a hard-fought 2-0 win over the Elizabethton River Riders at Jack Cook Field. The victory improved the Cats to 7-10 on the season and ended the River Riders’ six-game win streak, dropping them to 8-10.
In the second game of a six-game homestand, the Coal Cats relied on strong pitching and timely defense to prevail. Offense was hard to come by, as the teams combined for just eight hits. Tri-State struck first in the opening inning when Julio Soler reached on an error by first baseman Lenox Lively, allowing Sal Mineo to score.
Mineo, who reached base four times, also played a key role in the sixth inning, scoring on Ryan Maggy’s ground-ball single to give the Cats an insurance run and a 2-0 lead.
Tri-State’s pitching staff delivered under humid conditions. Tucker DeLisle, making his third start of the season, pushed through early fatigue to pitch three scoreless innings, allowing three hits, two walks and striking out three. “He was gassed [in] the first inning,” manager Tommy Gregg said. “He pushed through it in the heat and did a great job being mentally tough.”
Jett Hope followed with three dominant innings, giving up just one hit and striking out six to earn his first win of the season. Carlos Jazmin closed out the game with three perfect innings, striking out four to record his first save. Gregg praised his bullpen: “Our pitchers are finally getting more confidence, knowing they can pitch more to contact, not try to get chase and misses with bad pitches out of the zone.”
Elizabethton’s Donte Lewis pitched well in defeat, striking out seven over five innings while allowing just two hits and one unearned run. However, defensive errors proved costly for the River Riders, handing Lewis his first loss of the season.
The Coal Cats will look to carry this momentum into Thursday’s game, as they begin a four-game series with the Danville Otterbots at Jack Cook Field. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. ET. For more information about the Tri-State Coal Cats, visit appyleague.com/tri-state or follow @TriStCoalCats on X and Instagram.
