Tri-State tops Pulaski to earn third straight victory 

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PULASKI, Va. – Starting pitcher Jack Brooker and a consistent offensive attack powered Tri-State to a 5-3 win over the Pulaski River Turtles on Tuesday night.

The first three innings played out as a pitcher’s duel, as Brooker and River Turtles starter Justin Mayes each allowed one hit and no runs. However, the Cats broke through in the fourth inning.

Chace Chaplin got on base due to a throwing error and then Ryan Limerick continued the momentum with a single to right before Steve Thomas put the Cats on the board with a sacrifice fly. Brooker then had a shutdown inning and finished his night with only one hit allowed.

Isaac Turner then added to the Cats’ lead with a fifth inning single, and although Pulaski got a run back in the bottom half, Steve Thomas and Gavin Johnson’s sixth inning RBI singles kept the visitors out of reach. By the seventh inning stretch, Tri-State held a 5-1 advantage over Pulaski.

The River Turtles battled back in the bottom frame, as a solo shot by the leadoff hitter Conor Cooke and a passed ball cut the Tri-State lead to two. However, Ryan Brown and David Stich silenced the River Turtles’ bats during the final two innings.

Earning his first hold of the year, Brown tossed a shutout eighth inning by allowing one hit and striking out two batters. Stich struck out the same number of batters in the ninth, clinching the series and the victory with a 1-2-3 inning.

Tri-State now enters the season finale on a hot streak, winners of three straight games and improving its overall record to 22-25. Additionally, Tri-State now stands a full game ahead of the Bluefield Ridge Runners for fourth place in the East division. Pulaski dropped to 22-24 and only owns a half game lead over Tri-State for third place.

On Wednesday evening, Tri-State has the chance to creep ahead of Pulaski in the standings before closing the book on an unforgettable inaugural season for the Coal Cats.

For more information about the Tri-State Coal Cats, visit coalcats.com and follow @TriStCoalCats on Twitter and Instagram.