Riders end season with offensive explosion
Published 5:46 pm Thursday, August 1, 2024
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders The River Riders Jackson Berry (3) drives a single to centerfield in the top of the first inning.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders The River Riders' Jackson Berry (3) was off and running on the first pitch after his single and slid into second under the tag of Bristol shortstop Elijah Alexander (10) in the top of the first.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders River Rider starting pitcher Manning West (16) delivers a first pitch strike to Bristol’s Canon Pierce (20) in bottom first inning.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders River Rider shortstop Kevin Hall Jr. (57) gobbles up a grounder off the bat of Bristol’s Canon Pierce (20) and fires on to first for the first out of the bottom of the first inning.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders River Rider Kade Huff (7) singles on a line drive to center fielder in the top of the second.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders The River Rider Cadyn Karl (8) crushes a 2-1 fastball over the right-center field fence, delivering a three-run shot in the top of the second inning.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders The River Rider Cadyn Karl (8) is greeted at the plate by Leandro Perez (13) and Kade Huff (7) after he crushed a three-run bomb over the right-center field fence in the top of the second. Jackson Berry (3) joins the celebration from the on-deck circle.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders The River Rider Jayden Lobliner (46) turns on a 2-1 curve ball and drives a sharp liner down the left field for a double in the top of the third.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders River Rider shortstop Kevin Hall Jr. (57) makes a great leaping grab on Bristol’s Zak Rice's (29) bouncer over the mound, but rushed the throw and was charged with an error on the play.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders On an 0-2 pitch with two outs in the bottom of the third Bristol’s Elijah Alexander (10) turns on a slider and homers on a line drive to right center field. The three run homer would be all the offense the State Liners would muster in the 20-3 league season finale.
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STAR CORRESPONDENT
Cadyn Karl drove in six runs, Jackson Berry added five RBIs, and Manning West struck out six batters to set an Appalachian League record with 67 strikeouts as the River Riders defeated Bristol 20-3 on Wednesday night at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark.
“I came in here just trying to get better,” West said. “I just wanted to improve my game and have some fun. We have a great group of guys here, and they all encourage each other. The coaches work hard to get the best out of you.”
The River Riders (18-27) took an early 3-0 lead when Karl hit a three-run home run in the top of the third inning. With Kade Huff on base with a single and Leandro Perez hit by a pitch, Karl drove a 2-and-1 pitch over the short fence in right field. However, Elijah Alexander tied the score with a three-run blast in the bottom of the third inning.
From that point, it was all River Riders as they scored 17 unanswered runs over the fifth, sixth, seventh, and ninth innings. Berry’s grand slam in the top of the ninth provided the final margin of victory.
“We took advantage of everything they gave us,” River Riders manager Jeremy Owens said. “Walks and errors, we took advantage of it all and scored a lot of runs. The long ball was helpful tonight, as we scored seven runs off home runs. I am proud of these guys. They have worked hard this summer—we didn’t win as many games as we wanted to—but they all showed improvement in their respective games.”
In the fifth inning, the River Riders built a 7-3 lead with RBIs from Colin Sloan and Karl, along with a two-run infield error. Kade Huff’s RBI double and another Bristol error in the top of the fifth extended the lead to 9-3.
A seven-run seventh inning featured a pair of State Liner errors, with Cole Torbett driving in a run with a single. Sloan and Huff each drew bases-loaded walks, and Berry’s single added another run, giving the Riders a commanding 16-3 lead.
Karl and Berry each had three hits in the contest, while Torbett, Jayden Lobliner, Huff, and James Woody II each had two hits. West pitched three innings, allowing one hit and three runs, with two walks and six strikeouts.
Box Score: River Riders 20-3
River Riders 030 042 704 – 20 15 1
Bristol 003 000 000 – 3 4 3
Winning Pitcher: Carroll (3-2)
Losing Pitcher: Fulk (2-5)
Home Runs: Karl (1), Berry (1)
