DANVILLE, Va. – During Friday’s 8-8 tiebreaker victory, Tri-State not only swept the Danville Otterbots but proved why it led the Appalachian League in hits and OPS during this past week. Tri-State outdueled Danville and earned the come-from-behind victory with an eight-run, 10-hit performance in the box and clutch pitching performances on the mound during the late innings.
Though it became another impressive night for the Cats’ bats, the Otterbots struck first. After a leadoff double and throwing error put the first two Otterbots batters aboard, a groundout by Michael Callan Moss gave the home side a 1-0 lead.
With an early deficit, the Coal Cats’ newest addition wasted no time making a name for himself. In his first at-bat with the team, catcher Steve Thomas tied the game with a second-inning single to left field. Just one inning later, first baseman Chace Chaplin followed with an RBI single of his own to give his team a 2-1 advantage. Though this was the only RBI Chaplin recorded, he collected the most hits of any Coal Cat during Friday’s game with a 3-for-5 night at the plate.
Despite two productive innings for Tri-State, Danville rebounded with a four-run fourth. A single and two walks loaded the bases as Moss and Danville first baseman Cody Johnson scored all four runs with back-to-back hits. Both Moss and Johnson proved to be two of the team’s most productive hitters, becoming two of three Danville hitters who recorded multiple hits during the series finale.
From the sixth inning on, both sides engaged in a back-and-forth scoring battle. Though doubles by Gavin Johnson and Matt Ilgenfritz clawed the Coal Cats to within a run during the sixth and seventh innings respectively, the Otterbots answered both times to remain two runs ahead.
After playing catch-up during the previous two innings, Tri-State quickly ended the chase in the eighth. Two walks and a sacrifice bunt by CJ Richard put pressure on the Danville pitching staff and put the Cats in position to tie the game. After a balk made it a 7-6 ballgame, Jorge Gonzalez-Febo delivered the game-tying run with a double to left field.
In the bottom half, reliever Mason Bell fully shifted momentum by tossing a scoreless frame. Only allowing one walk during his lone inning of relief, Bell shut out Danville for the first time since the fifth inning to keep the 7-7 tie intact.
In the top half of the ninth, two familiar faces continued the Coal Cats’ rally as Johnson looped a single to left field and Ilgenfritz hustled home to beat a close tag and take the 8-7 lead.
However, the Otterbots did not stay down for long. Just as quickly, the home side once again knotted the score on a wild pitch in the bottom half. However, the Cats’ defense pulled through in the tiebreaker to retire the Otterbots and secure the two-game sweep.
With the win, Tri-State extended its season-high winning streak to five games. Its record improves to 18-21 overall and creeps within a game and a half of Bluefield for fourth place in the East division. Meanwhile, Danville falls to 24-14 yet keeps its multi-game lead over Burlington for the division crown.
Averaging nine runs per game during this week, Tri-State enters Saturday’s 7 p.m. contest with momentum and a winning streak on its side. After Tri-State ends its road stint against the Burlington Sock Puppets, the team returns home next week for a rematch against Danville.
