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STAR CORRESPONDENT

River Riders relief pitching won the day, and Colin Sloan delivered a three-run double in the seventh to stake Elizabethton to a 6-4 victory at Northeast Community Credit Union ballpark on Saturday night.

Nash Bingham got the start for Betsy, and he went three innings, giving up two runs on a homer from Tyler Zedalis – his third of the season.

From there Elizabethton relievers gave up just two runs over six innings and Sloan delivered a bases loaded shot that gave the Riders a 6-2 lead late. The Riders scored a run in the second frame with Carlos Irizarry delivering an RBI single.

“Our pitchers got ahead and if you can get ahead of hitters it makes it easier for you,” River Riders manager Jeremy Owens said. “Then they were able to go to their secondary stuff and we stayed away from hard contact.”

The State Liners made it a 2-1 game in the third with Zedalis two-run blast but the River Riders relief pitching took control from there. In the Riders third Kain Collins led off with an infield single and Jaxon Diamond singled to right field to put runners on the corners.

An error by the Bristol first baseman allowed Collins to score and left runners on first and third and Kade Huff drew a free pass to load the bases. Bristol relief pitcher Ethan Bobo struck out Sloan but James Woody II’s ground ball brought home Diamond for a 3-2 Elizabethton lead.

The next three and a half innings were scoreless as Brandon Hasten, and Caden Carroll shut the Bristol squad down. Hasten pitched two shutout innings giving up no runs on one hit with two strikeouts and Carroll – who earned the victory – went two and two thirds frames giving up two unearned runs with five strikeouts.

In the seventh, Noah Palmese walked the bases loaded as he issued free passes to Kain Collins, Adam Magpoc, and Kade Huff, bringing Sloan to the plate with two outs. Sloan worked the count to one and two before striking his blast off the wall in left field.

“He hit me with a slider in the prior at bat and I was getting a little bit antsy, trying to do too much,” Sloan said. “I just tried to put bat to the ball and that’s what I did.”

Sloan’s knock cleared the bases and staked the Riders to a 6-2 lead. Bristol rallied for two runs in the eighth as an infield error brought both runs across against Carroll. With two outs Carroll walked Garrett Fulmer and Esteban Garcia singled to put runners on first and second.

Alex Cromwell the hit a ball to short where Austin Hartsell couldn’t get a handle and the ball dribbled out to short left field and both runners crossed the plate to make it 6-4. Johnny Montgomery then came on and he struck out designated hitter David Hamilton to end the threat.

Myles Green pitched a scoreless ninth as Betsy claimed its first win of the season.

Elizabethton 6-4

Bristol 002 000 020 – 4 4 1

Elizabethton 012 000 30x – 6 7 3

W – Carroll L – Jones

HR – Zedalis (3)