River Riders come from behind to defeat Pulaski

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. – An early lead by the Pulaski River Turtles was not enough Friday night in Elizabethton, as the River Riders came back from a two-run deficit with a four-run seventh inning to beat Pulaski 8-4.

The River Turtles got on the board first with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. However, Elizabethton struck back with a pair in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a bases-loaded walk by Connor Price and a sacrifice fly by Jaxon Diamond to make it 2-1 after an inning.

Pulaski would continue to apply pressure though, as the River Turtles scored two in the second inning and then got a solo home run by Owen DeShazo in the third inning to take a 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Reagan Guthrie brought home Diamond with a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to one.

Collin Rothermel got the ball for the River Riders, and despite some early trouble he really settled into a groove. He would last five innings, striking out eight batters, including six of the last seven he faced.

The score remained unchanged until the bottom of the seventh when Issac Williams tripled with the bases loaded to bring in all three runners to score and give Elizabethton a 6-4 lead. Williams scored a batter later on a sacrifice fly by Connor Price. Elizabethton added one more in the eighth on a Brendan Jones RBI single to extend the lead to 8-4.

Cody Bowker was fantastic out of the bullpen in relief of Rothermel. He went four shutout innings out of the pen, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out seven and helped the River Riders to the victory, earning his first win of the season.

Elizabethton (25-26) closes out the season tomorrow against Pulaski (27-28). With a win, the River Riders close out the season at a .500 record. You can watch the game live at https://appalachianleague.univtec.com/event/62b38d7e21dd8610cc94de1a.