Battle of the bats goes the way of the Axmen

BRISTOL, Va. – In a game that featured two of the top offenses in the Appalachian League, the bats were expected to produce in a big way, and there was plenty of offensive firepower on display at Boyce Cox Field on Thursday night.

Playing in their third consecutive home opener was no issue for the Axmen as they downed the Bristol State Liners, 13-7, handing Bristol (2-1) their first loss of the season.

The Axmen (2-1) got on the board in the first inning after Payton Allen (Houston) doubled to start the game and came around to score on a Corbin Shaw (Walters State CC) RBI groundout.

After a scoreless second inning, Radford commitment Cole Swift uncorked on a solo bomb for his first home run of the campaign making it a 2-0 game through three innings. The Axmen tacked one more on in the fifth on an RBI single from Deniel Ortiz (Walters State) to make it a 3-0 game.

The contest shifted in a big way in the bottom of the fifth as the Axmen called on Andrew Citron (Georgetown), who was unable to get through even one out before being hit out of the game. All in all, Kingsport allowed four runs to cross the plate in the fifth.

The State Liners added on to their lead in the bottom of the sixth, striking for three runs, including a two-run double by Joe Kinneberg (Newman College) to make it a 7-3 game. Kingsport picked up two runs in the seventh, one of which was again off the bat of Deniel Ortiz to bring it to 7-5.

The game then turned on its head once more as Kingsport picked up a bases-clearing double from Shaw and a two-run home run from catcher Ryan McCarthy (ETSU) as part of an eight-run eighth inning, making the score 13-7, where the game would ultimately stay for good.

For Kingsport, Left-handed pitcher Micky Scheetz turned in a phenomenal night, going four innings, striking out four, walking one and giving up just one hit. Left-handed pitcher Nick Bruno (1-0) picked up the win while Jonathon Stevens (0-1) took the loss for Bristol.

Both teams will be back at it again tomorrow at Boyce Cox Field for Game 2. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.