HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — Tri-State rebounded from Monday’s disappointing home opener with a complete team effort, cruising to a 9-1 victory over the Pulaski River Turtles on Tuesday night at Jack Cook Field. The Coal Cats (3-2) secured their first home win of the season, powered by a dominant outing from starter Kenneth Jackson and an explosive fifth inning.
Jackson delivered a standout performance on the mound, throwing seven scoreless innings — the longest outing by an Appalachian League starter this season. He allowed just four hits and three walks while striking out three, leaning on a defense that committed no errors, a notable improvement from the previous night.
“(Jackson’s) a competitor. Love the kid; he’s just going to battle all the time,” Coal Cats manager Tommy Gregg said. Gregg explained his decision to let Jackson pitch deeper into the game than is typical in a developmental league, adding, “He was coming in telling me he wanted to go another one. He’ll tell me when he’s done. I trusted him on that as a manager.”
The first four innings featured a pitchers' duel between Jackson and Pulaski starter Noah Toole. Toole pitched four innings, allowing one run on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
Tri-State broke through in the fourth inning when Julio Solier singled to score Ryan Maggy, giving the Coal Cats a 1-0 lead. However, the defining moment came in the bottom of the fifth. Pulaski turned to reliever Davin Pollard, but the move backfired as Tri-State erupted for eight runs in a relentless offensive surge.
Xavier Rivera began the scoring with a line drive to bring home Bishop Quarles. With the bases loaded, Pollard hit Chandler Murray with a pitch and issued two walks, gifting Tri-State three runs. Ty Smolinski added to the tally with an RBI groundout, and Quarles followed with a two-run double. Rivera capped the inning with an RBI single, driving in Quarles.
Unlike the previous contest, Tri-State extended its lead while Pulaski failed to chip away. Despite recording 17 strikeouts in Game 1 of the series, Gregg maintained faith in his lineup.
“With 17 strikeouts, there’s gotta be some adjustments,” Gregg said. “Baseball’s an adventure every day. You can lose, get your butt kicked, come back the next day and have no problem winning games.”
The adjustments paid off, as the Coal Cats tallied 10 hits and drew five walks. Solier, Smolinski and Quarles — all making their Appalachian League debuts — combined for five RBI and impressed both offensively and defensively.
Pulaski’s lone run came in the eighth inning when Jonathan Holt’s sacrifice fly scored JT Taylor. Reliever Brendin Oliver closed out the game for Tri-State, pitching two innings of one-run ball.
The Coal Cats will aim to carry their momentum into Wednesday’s matchup against a new opponent: the Johnson City Doughboys. The Doughboys (2-3) are coming off a 16-6 loss to Burlington. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Jack Cook Field.
For more information about the Tri-State Coal Cats, visit appyleague.com/tri-state or follow @TriStCoalCats on X and Instagram.
