River Riders rally past Flyboys
Published 12:09 pm Friday, June 9, 2023
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BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN
STAR CORRESPONDENT
There are 27 outs in a nine inning baseball game and on Thursday night at Northeast Community Credit Union ballpark the Elizabethton River Riders pitchers struck out 20 Greeneville hitters in a 7-2 win.
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the Riders scored six runs with shortstop Ryan Weingartner driving in three runs and third baseman D.J. Dillehay plating two more.
“It feels good to come out here every day with these guys,” Weingartner said. “I think we all try to make each other better. We all come from different backgrounds and schools but it’s fun to come out to the ballpark and play some ballgames.”
The Riders (2-1) have hit the cover off the ball in their two home games scoring 16 runs in the two contests with right fielder Kerry Herndon-Brown hitting at a .667 clip (8-for-12) with a home run and three RBI.
“Actually I didn’t play much in college,” Herndon-Brown said. “I’m just making the most of my opportunity and we have a lot of good players ahead of me. A really good pitching staff and good coaching. I have learned a lot from those guys.”
In the sixth, leadoff man Trey Fenderson drew a walk and Hayden Moore tripled off the leftfield wall to tie the score at 2-2. Knox Preston reached on an infield error which allowed Moore to score and give the River Riders their first lead of the game at 3-2.
Hunter Porter reached on a hard hit ball that ricocheted off Greeneville pitcher Nick Good for an infield hit. Herndon-Brown walked to load the bases and Weingartner crushed a two run single to the gap in left center field to make it a 5-2 contest.
Dillehay followed with his two run hit to complete the six run rally.
Betsy starter Peyton Jula lasted 3.1 innings giving up two runs (one earned) before giving way to Pablo Torres who pitched 2.2 frames giving up one hit and no runs while walking two and whiffing six.
Jula walked three and struck out six in his time on the mound. Greeneville got a run in the first when Johnny Pilla singled, stole second and went to third when catcher Keaton Cottam’s throw sailed into centerfield.
Pilla came in on a ground out off the bat of Joel Dragoo. In the second Herndon-Brown doubled to left and came in on a single from Weingartner to make it a 1-1 game. A pair of errors stung Jula and allowed the Flyboys to take a 2-1 advantage in the fourth inning.
Will Bollinger took the hill in the seventh and struck out the side. He then struck out two of the three hitters he faced in the eighth and John Harrick struck out the side in the ninth to secure the victory.
“The strikeouts were a bonus,” Riders manager Jeremy Owens said. “You look at our first two games and we are in a zone now. We threw strikes and when you are pounding the zone good things will happen for you. We had a big inning and in the short time I have had to think about this game I come away with we beat a good team tonight.”
River Riders 7-2
Greeneville 100 100 000 – 2 3 1
River Riders 010 006 00x – 7 7 2
W – Torres L – Good
