HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- After a grueling six-game road trip, the Coal Cats returned to Jack Cook Field on Tuesday evening and remained hotter than the anthracite they're named after. Shutout innings from the bullpen and a seventh-inning rally guided Tri-State to its fifth win in six games, a 4-3 victory over the Elizabethton River Riders.
Both sides threatened to score during the first three innings, yet neither side took control. For the Coal Cats, Jack Brooker got through the first three innings unscathed while allowing three hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
After three scoreless innings, Elizabethton sailed ahead in the fourth. The visitors started the inning strong, as three of its first four batters recorded an extra-base hit. Following first baseman Colin Sloan’s leadoff double, third baseman James Woody II put his team on the board with a two-bagger of his own. In the next two plate appearances, an RBI triple and sacrifice fly gave Elizabethton a 3-0 lead before Brooker escaped the jam.
“Our pitching usually keeps us in the game,” manager Tommy Gregg said. “Jack got through five innings; he didn’t have his best stuff but he found a way to compete. We made a couple of plays behind him and all of a sudden, he’s getting out of innings.”
The Coal Cats got off to a slow start in the box, as River Riders righty Nash Bingham pitched four shutout innings while striking out four batters. Despite putting four runners on base through the first three innings, the Coal Cats remained in a 3-0 deficit entering the fifth.
In the fifth, Tri-State got on the board in unusual fashion. Following a Michael Rodriguez single and Logan Poteet walk, an Elizabethton balk made it a 3-1 deficit. Though the home side was retired in a 1-2-3 sixth, Tri-State completed the rally when it returned to the dish.
Exiting the seventh inning stretch, the River Riders out-hit the Coal Cats 9-4. However, the Cats made that stat irrelevant in the bottom half as they once again got on base despite their lack of hits.
A leadoff walk set the table for the Cats offense before two singles loaded the bases and put pressure on the River Riders pitching staff. In a display of discipline, the Coal Cats drew back-to-back walks to tie the game. With the bases still juiced, a hard-hit ball by Ryan Limerick brought the go-ahead run home to put the Cats at a one-run advantage.
In the late inning of Tuesday’s battle, Tri-State’s bullpen once again slammed the door on its opponent. This time, Evan Holewinski built on Brooker’s scoreless fifth frame with a shutout performance of his own. In his third win of the season, the Kent State product fanned three batters and allowed four hits in three innings. With a 4-3 lead in hand, David Stich earned his fourth save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning that included two strikeouts.
“[Stich's] not scared. He comes in, throws the ball and expects to close it out. That’s what you want in a closer,” Gregg said. “It’s not just like, ‘Oh, I hope I do it this time,’ he’s confident. He’s got such good stuff that he needs to just keep it in the zone and usually good things happen.”
Improving to an overall record of 15-21, Tri-State has now won five of its past six games dating back to its series finale against Johnson City. Tri-State aims to remain perfect against the 14-21 Elizabethton River Riders during Wednesday’s 7 p.m. series finale.
