River Riders drop third straight, fall to Axmen 10-6
Published 11:32 am Friday, July 11, 2025
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By Ron Marvel
Star Correspondent
The River Riders fell to .500 after dropping their third consecutive game, as the Riders’ bullpen faltered in the late innings, surrendering seven runs in the eighth inning.
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The boys from Elizabethton jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the second after a Jackson Berry single to left plated Jordan Crossland and Jack Torbett, who had reached earlier on a fielding error and a walk.
It was a short-lived lead, as the Axmen responded in the next inning. Blake Primrose belted a double to the right-field gap, but Riders starting pitcher Jack Yeager prevented further damage by getting a strikeout and a lineout. The Maryland Terrapin righty finished his day going four innings and giving up two runs on two hits with four strikeouts.
The game stayed knotted at 2-all until the bottom of the seventh, when Kam Durnin singled on a sharp line drive to center, plating Mason Swinney and giving the Axmen a 3-2 lead. The River Riders looked to tie the game when Jack Torbett hit a line drive over the Axmen center fielder for a double to start the eighth. Unfortunately, Jackson Berry hit a laser directly at third, and Tu’alau Wolfgramm and Lenox Lively grounded out to end the inning.
Kingsport got things going in the bottom of the eighth with a single and a walk. A double by Paul Jones pushed the Axmen lead to 5-2, but they weren’t done, as the floodgates opened. An Axmen walk and a single were followed by a base hit that deflected off the glove of Riders second baseman Torbett into right, allowing two more runs to score and making it 7-2. After a Tyler Myatt sacrifice fly, Derrick Pitts put an exclamation point on the inning by bouncing a line drive off the fence in right for a triple, pushing the Axmen lead to 10-2.
Looking to crawl back into the game, the River Riders scratched out four runs in the bottom of the ninth, powered by singles by Eli Evans, Jack Ratcliffe, Luke Donaghey and a Crossland double. But it was too little, too late for the River Riders, as their record fell to 15-15 on the 2025 campaign. Evans finished the game going 2-for-3, while Crossland and Berry both had multiple RBIs in the contest. Henry Slaby pitched well in relief, going two innings and giving up no runs on one hit while striking out two.
The River Riders will complete the road series with the Axmen (17-12) tonight, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. They will return home Saturday night for a game against Pulaski at 6:30 p.m.
