River Riders take fourth straight victory

Published 12:10 pm Friday, July 14, 2023

By Allen LaMountain

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The long ball was on display Thursday night at Northeast Community Credit Union ballpark with four home runs being launched out of the park. In the end it was small ball that prevailed as the Elizabethton River Riders defeated Greeneville 10-5.
Greeneville (14-19) connected on three solo home runs and the Riders left fielder Brandon Jones hit a two run shot as Elizabethton built a 6-1 lead after three innings. For Jones it was his second long ball of the season and gives him 19 runs batted in which leads the team.
“We avoided the big inning,” River Riders manager Jeremy Owens said. “Greeneville hit some homers but they came with no runners ahead of them. (Mueller) has put together a good run of quality starts. He gives up some hits, but that’s ok. He lets his defense play and yeah, he gives up some hits, but he understands how the game works and he plays to his strength.”
The Riders opened the game with three runs in the last of the first with Dylan Knowles leadoff single and walks to Trey Fenderson and Skylar King to load the bases. D.J. Dillehay’s fielder’s choice grounder to third brought home Knowles and Jones’ grounder brought home Fenderson for a 2-0 Riders lead.
With two outs, shortstop Austen Jaslove singled in the third run of the frame. Elizabethton (18-14) got a run in the second inning on a single from Hayden Moore. Moore then stole second for his eighth steal of the season and one out later with Moore at third base, Fenderson hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield for a 4-0 Riders advantage.
The Flyboys second baseman Johnny Pilla stroked a solo home run off Mueller (1-1, 5.40 ERA) in the third frame but the Riders answered when Jones smashed a two run shot following a double from Dillehay which gave the Riders a 6-1 lead after three innings.
“It’s good to get that first win,” Mueller said. “I definitely worked the changeup well tonight. They have a lot of lefty hitters and I was able to get a lot of swings and misses. My slider was working pretty well all night as well. I kept the ball out of the hitter’s zone and worked the corners and let my defense work behind me.”
Each side scored a run in the fourth with Joel Dragoo hitting his third home run of the season and driving in his 31st RBI for Greeneville. The Riders got an RBI single from King to bring home Fenderson and make it a 7-2 game.
The Flyboys got a run in the fifth on a triple from shortstop Tyler Cerny and a ground ball from Jack Mosh and added another in the sixth as Mueller ran out of gas at that point giving up a single and a walk before giving way to Marcello Mastroianni.
Greeneville closed to within 7-5 in the eighth when Gavyn Boyle hit his fourth long ball of the season, but the Flyboys side arming reliever Ryan Widmeier walked the first five batters he faced in the eighth bringing home two runs and forcing Greeneville High School’s Parker Shipley into the contest.
Shipley induced a double play liner that brought home the final run of the game and Gabriel Barrett closed out the contest in the ninth.
River Riders 10-5
Greeneville 001 111 010 – 5
River Riders 312 100 03x – 10
W – Mueller (1-1) L – Sliwinski
HR – Jones (2), Dragoo (3), Boyle (4),

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