Coal Cats struggle to find wins in latest homestretch

 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 stretch between the fifth and eighth innings. Only one run was unearned, the result of a throwing error by Cesar Gonzalez. The Cats tacked on a run in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Smolinski, but by then, the game was out of reach.

    The bullpen was busy for the Coal Cats, as they used five pitchers in relief. Starter Jack Gibson, pitched three innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out five. Joe Gomez continued his strong play from his last appearance with a scoreless fourth inning, striking out three. Aiden Sites, who took the loss, allowed two runs on three hits in the fifth. Mason Sylvest and Branson McCloud combined to give up five runs over three innings.

    For Elizabethton, Matthew Porchas helped his team get off on the right foot with four innings of two-run ball, and Demarques Thompson followed with three shutout innings to earn the win.

ELIZABETHTON 002 021 220 – 9 10 0

TRI-STATE 000 2000 010 – 3 3 2

Porchas, Thompson (5 W 1-0) DuMont (8) Martin (9) and Lobliner; Gibson, Gomez (4), Sites (5 L 0-2) Sylvest (6) McCloud (8) Oliver (9) and Gonzalez; 

Hitting: (E) Lewis 3-4 HR 3 RBIs, Owens 2-4, Ratcliffe 2-4 2B, Brown 2B (TS) Gonzalez 1-4, Mineo 1-4 2B, Winsett 1-3 2B RBI;

    In Game two, Tri-State flipped the script by defeating Elizabethton 2-0, to end the River Riders six-game win streak.

    The Coal Cats relied on pitching, as both teams struggled at the plate, combining for a total of eight hits. Tri-State struck first in the opening inning when Julio Soler reached on an error by first baseman Lenox Lively, allowing Sal Mineo to score.

    Mineo, who reached base four times, also played a key role in the sixth inning, scoring on Ryan Maggy’s ground-ball single to give the Cats an insurance run and a 2-0 lead.

    Tri-State’s pitching staff delivered under humid conditions. Tucker DeLisle, making his third start of the season, pushed through early fatigue to pitch three scoreless innings, allowing three hits, two walks and striking out three

    Jett Hope followed with three dominant innings, giving up just one hit and striking out six to earn his first win of the season. Carlos Jazmin closed out the game with three perfect innings, striking out four to record his first save.

ELIZABETHTON 000 000 000 – 0 4 2

TRI-STATE 1 00 001 00X – 2 4 0

Lewis (L 0-1) Martin (6) Roe (6), and Carter; DeLisle, Hope (4 W 1-1), Jazmin (7 S 1), and Golden; 

Hitting: (E) Crossland 1-4, Brown 1-3, Wolfgramm 1-4, Thompson 1-3; (TS) Maggy 2-3 RBI, Mineo 1-2 2 R, Solier RBI.

    The Coal Cats then welcomed the Danville Otterbots for a four-game series to complete the homestand. But like many times throughout the season, Mother Nature would wreck havoc on the series. 

    Game one was paused in the fourth inning with the game scoreless and resumed Friday as part of a double-header. Both teams leaned heavily on their pitching in a defensive struggle. For Danville, starter Brandon Jung delivered five dominant innings, striking out six without allowing a run. Michael Daniel followed with a single inning of relief, striking out three.

    The Coal Cats countered with Bryant Yoak, who turned in three scoreless innings and struck out six in a stellar outing. Noah LaFine took over in relief, adding three strikeouts in two innings. Alberto Duran made his Appalachian League debut with an exceptional inning, picking up a strikeout to round out the Coal Cats’ night on the mound.

    Once the game resumed on Friday, the Coal Cats scored two crucial runs to win the game. 

    Xavier Rivera broke the deadlock with an RBI single in the seventh, driving in Solier. Michael Rodriguez added an insurance run in the eighth with a sacrifice fly that scored Maggy.

    Tri-State’s bullpen played the winning role, led by Reynaldo Castro’s Appalachian League debut. Castro earned the win with two innings of no-hit ball, allowing just two walks and striking out one. Evan Jones capped the effort with a scoreless ninth to notch his first save of the season. Danville’s offense managed just three hits in the contest, as the Coal Cats came away with a 2-0 victory.

DANVILLE 000 000 000 – 0 3 2

TRI-STATE 000 000 11X – 2 4 0

Jung, Daniel (6), Chamberlain (7 L 0-1), and Carter; Yoak, Lafine (4), Duran (5), Castro (7 W 1-0), Jones (9 S 1), and Rivera.

Hitting: (D) Pratt 1-2 2B; (TS) Maggy 1-2 R, Rivera 1-4 RBI, Rodriguez 1-2 RBI

    Game two of Friday’s double-header saw the Otterbots tie the series at one all by picking up a 6-4 victory. 

    Tri-State built an early 2-0 with Mineo bringing home Golden on an RBI single, and Gonzalez doubling home Bishop Quarles. 

    Danville responded with three runs in the fourth, highlighted by Garrett Shull’s two-run single and Aimon Chandler’s RBI single. Tri-State clawed back in the fifth, tying the game at 4-4 after Quarles drove in a run and Golden worked a bases-loaded walk.

    The Otterbots regained control in the sixth, as a sac fly from Micah Dean plated a run, followed by Alex Conover grounding into a double play that scored Zach Altamura. Peyton Huff sealed the win in the seventh to earn his second save of the season.

    For Tri-State, Kenyon Collins delivered a gritty six-inning outing, allowing four runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out five. Collins, now leading the Appalachian League with 28 strikeouts, was relieved by McCloud, who surrendered two runs in the sixth and took the loss.

    Danville’s Matthew Spada turned in a solid start, allowing two earned runs over four innings. Jai Hewitt picked up the win with a scoreless fifth, and Huff closed the game for the save.

DANVILLE 000 301 2XX – 6 6 0

TRI-STATE 011 020 0XX – 4 9 1

Spada, Stephens (5), Hewitt (6), Huff (7), and Cordeiro; Collins, McCloud (7), and Golden

Hitting: (D) Conover 2-4 2 R RBI, Dean 1-2 RBI 2B, Shull 2-3 3 RBIs; (TS) Gonzalez 1-4 2B RBI, Smolinski 2-3 2B, Golden 1-3 RBI 2B, Mineo 2-3 RBI, Quarles 2-4 RBI

    Saturday’s game was called a no-contest in the bottom of the seventh inning due to lightning with the score tied 1-1.

    Playing as the Huntington Slaw Dogs, the team’s alternate identity on Saturday home games, they struck first in the third inning. Solier reached on a fielder’s choice, bringing Mineo home from third to give the Slaw Dogs its lone run.  Danville leveled the score in the sixth when Seth Smith singled to drive in Mason Pangborn.

    Pitching was the story of the night, with both starters delivering strong outings. Huntington’s Brendin Oliver turned in five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, two walks and striking out five. Danville’s Andrew Evans was equally impressive, going five innings with four hits, one earned run, two walks and eight strikeouts.

    The final game of the week was easily controlled by the Otterbots, who came away with a 7-1 victory.

    

    Danville did most of its damage in the third inning with a five-run outburst. As Charlie Carter scored on a Shull Sac Fly, Conover cracked a two-run RBI double into right field, Khaleel Pratt doubled into right field and later scored on a wild pitch.

    The Otterbots added on insurance runs in the fifth and seventh innings with Pratt scoring on a fielder’s choice, and Conover scoring on a Pratt Sac Fly into left field.

    The Coal Cats, however, scratched out a run in the sixth and Smolinski scored via fielder’s choice. 

    Kenneth Jackson took the loss on the mound for Tri-State, going 2.2 innings, allowing five runs on three runs and three walks while striking out one. Clayton Cooksey picked up the win in relief for Danville, as he went four innings allowing just one hit and walking two while striking out three.

DANVILLE 005 010 1XX – 7 6 1

TRI-STATE 000 001 0XX – 1 3 0

Lewis, Cooksey (5), Daniel (6), Davis (7), and Carter; Jackson, Child (3) Sylvest (5) Sites (6) Duran (7), and Rivera

Hitting: (E) Conover 2-4 2 RBI 2B, Pratt 2 RBI, Altamura 2-3 2B, Sifford RBI; (TS) Smolinski 1-3 2B, Rodriguez RBI

    The Coal Cats fell to 8-12 on the season, and fourth in the Appalachian League East Standings and have lost six of its last ten. They will be back in action starting Tuesday with three games on the road against the Bluefield Ridge Runners, before returning home on Friday for a three-game series against the Kingsport Axmen.