
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.