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By Carter Jones

JOHNSON CITY – The Johnson City Doughboys lost a long one at home to the Kingsport Axmen on Tuesday, 13-9.

The Axmen were the first ones on the board. With the bases loaded in the top of the first, Landis Davila landed a hit down the right field line and brought home Kam Durnin and Ben Tryon for two runs.

Johnson City responded in the bottom of the first with only a single run. Dane Morrow and Logan Fyffe walked as the first two batters. A wild pitch into the backstop moved them to second and third before Nate Conner lifted a sacrifice flyout to left field, allowing Morrow to tag up and make his way home for a run scored.

Durnin added on himself in the very next inning for the Axmen. He turned and crushed his first pitch of his second at-bat and sent a 380-foot shot over the right field wall for Durnin’s fifth home run of the season to make it a 3-1 ballgame.

The Doughboys tied the game up in the bottom of the third. Morrow and Fyffe started the inning with back-to-back doubles, Fyffe earning the RBI as Morrow came across home plate for a second time. Trey Majette kept the bats rolling with a double of his own just a batter later, scoring Fyffe and knotting the ballgame at 3-3.

In the fourth, Ty Denton grounded out to third but gave Davila a chance to find his way home from third. Phoenix McFarland cracked his first hit of the ballgame shortly afterward, a double deep into right center that scored PJ Jones from second. With the bases loaded, Durnin turned over on a pitch and grounded into a double play attempt. Durnin beat out the throw for the second out and scored McFarland from third in all the commotion.

Kingsport continued to rack up runs in the fifth. Colin Larson grounded into a force out that scored Davila for his second run of the ballgame. In the sixth, Tryon doubled and cashed in runs from Durnin and Mason Swinney. After a couple of walked batters to load the bases, McFarland drew a walk and saw Tryon score. A wild pitch on the next batter sent Davila home for a third time. To top it off, Swinney worked another walk with the bases loaded and Durnin singled on a line drive to left, bringing in McFarland to make the score 13-3.

The Doughboys weren’t going down without a fight. In the bottom of the sixth, Camden Kaufman doubled into left center to score Jackson Jones, who had singled just before. Kaufman stood on third after a passed ball, and Ryan Jones hit an infield grounder that was ruled a fielder’s choice as Kaufman came storming home. Fyffe then doubled for a second time in the game into left, scoring Ryan Jones and putting Derrick Mitchell on third after his single. Conner grounded out to first base but gave Mitchell an opportunity to cross home for his first run of the game.

In the seventh, Mitchell crushed a double to the right field wall that saw Jackson Jones cross home yet again and move Ryan Jones to third after being walked. A wild pitch scored Ryan Jones from the corner and would be the last run scored in the ballgame, as Johnson City couldn’t mount the comeback and fell 13-9 to Kingsport.

The Doughboys will be back at it on Wednesday in the second game of the series against the Axmen, with first pitch set for 7 p.m. at TVA Credit Union Ballpark.