River Riders can’t hold a late lead, fall in sudden death to Turtles

Published 1:25 pm Monday, July 17, 2023

By Ron Marvel

Star Correspondent

The River Riders would fall in a shortened Sunday contest in sudden death after giving up a run on a pass in the seventh and last inning, allowing Pulaski to tie the contest. Pulaski would get on the board first as JP Guathier would homer off Spenser Atkins, sending a ball deep over the right field fence. The River Turtles would then extend their lead to 2-0 as Turtles third baseman Sam White would then hit another homer to nearly the exact spot in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The River Riders loaded the bases the next inning but would only score one run off an Austen Jaslove walk, but Brendan Jones would get caught looking on a called strike three to end the Elizabethton threat. The very next inning, the River Turtles would take that momentum and score three runs in the bottom of the fifth to jump out to a 5-1 lead. But the River Riders wouldn’t go quietly in the humid Pulaski night. Down to their final three outs, Matty Wright would get the seventh inning started with a double to right plating Xavier Cintron who had reached on a throwing error. Kerry Hendon-Brown would then rope a ball to left plating another River Riders run. Jaslove would then double to the center field gap scoring Wright and Hendon- Brown to tie the game at five apiece. Peyton Basler would then sneak a ball into right to give the River Riders a one run advantage.

The final inning would start off shaky for the River Riders as Gauthier would double to left and then advance to advance to third on a fielder choice. The River Turtles would line out to center for the second out however, down to the final strike of the game River Riders catcher Keaton Cottam would allow a passed ball to allow Gauthier to scamper home to knot the game at six all. In sudden death the River Turtles would get a base hit to left, to end the game. The second game of the doubleheader would be canceled when a water line break in the city of Pulaski would cut all water to the stadium. The River Riders would fall to 18-14 for the season.

Jaslove would go 2 for 3 in the contest with three RBIs; Matty Wright would also pick up two hits in the contest.  Spener Atkins would go 5.0 innings, giving up just two earned runs with five K’s. The River Riders will have the day off Monday before starting a two-game set against the first-place Johnson City Doughboys, whom they now trail by six games.