First and Ben

 By Ben Anderson      The struggles continue for the Tri-State Coal Cats as they lost three games in a homestand conflicted with lightning over the weekend.      Tri-State started the week with a two-game series against the Elizabethton River Riders. Game one was the battle of opposites, the River Riders extended their win streak to six games, while the Coal Cats lost their third straight as Elizabethton picked up a 9-3 victory.       Elizabethton struck first in the third inning with Jack Ratcliffe’s RBI double followed by Donte Lewis’ run-scoring single. Lewis, who finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs, highlighted his night with a two-run homer in the eighth.      Tri-State responded in the fourth with two runs. Sam Winsett’s double scored Chandler Murray, and Luke Kosko brought home Tyler Smolinski on a groundout to tie the game at 2-2.      The River Riders took over with a seven-run stretc...

 By Ben Anderson      The road struggles continued for the Tri-State Coal Cats in their latest stretch as they dropped four of six games.        Tri-State started the week being swept by the Pulaski River Turtles in a series filled with late-game miscues, and cold offense.        Game one saw Pulaski strike early as the River Turtles hit two home runs in the second inning, the first long balls allowed by the Coal Cats this season.  Aiden Torrez had a solo shot, and JT Taylor had a two-run blast to put the River Turtles ahead 4-1.       The Coal Cats scratched back into the game in the fourth inning, scoring four runs. Tyler Smolinski’s RBI single scored Ryan Maggy, followed by Chandler Murray’s RBI to bring home Xavier Rivera. Jorge Gonzalez-Febo added a sacrifice fly to plate Smolinski, and Sal Mineo’s RBI single capped the rally, putting the Coal Cats ahead, 5-4.       Ho...

     By Ben Anderson      After starting the season winning its first series, the Tri-State Coal Cats dropped four of its seven game homestretch with its defensive struggles being the main kryptonite.      The Coal Cats started the home stretch with two games against the Pulaski River Turtles, the same team that they opened up at home against in their inaugural season. Game one saw the Coal Cats start fire early by getting out to a 4-0 lead with all four runs being scored with two outs.      Casey Proctor powered his way on the bump as the starter, allowing just one earned run across four innings. He struck out seven while battling back-to-back bases loaded situations, surrendering just one run on a walk.      The Coal Cats’ offense plunged after the hot start, falling victim to dominate River Turtles pitching staff, which tallied 17 strikeouts in the game.      The River Turtles began its rally, s...

 By Ben Anderson      The Tri-State Coal Cats won the battle against mother nature to start the 2025 campaign, winning two of three games against the Elizabethton River Riders in Appalachian League baseball action at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark.            In game one, the Coal Cats defeated the River Riders 6-4. Tri-State jumped early, taking a 60-1 lead through the top of the sixth inning. The Coal Cats racked up 10 hits, including six doubles. Tri-State got the scoring started in the third inning, with Sam Winsett driving in the first run on an RBI Single. The offense continued its roar, scoring five runs across the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.            Tri-State’s starting pitcher, Ryan Brown created the early spark for the Coal Cats, delivering three strikeouts while allowing just two hits. Mason Child picked up the win in relief, allowing one run on one hit and two walks...