June 16, 2025
By Ben Anderson, FM88 Sports Director
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, scoring two runs in the sixth, and one run in the eighth inning to cut the deficit to 5-4.
The River Turtles then shocked the Coal Cats’ faithful at Jack Cook Field, scoring six runs in the ninth inning, and capitalizing on three Tri-State errors to win 10-5.
Pulaski 001 002 016 – 10 10 1
Tri-State 220 100 000 – 5 6 3
Game two would be much different for the Coal Cats, easily taking care of business with a 9-1 victory powered by an explosive outing from starter Kenneth Jackson and an electric fifth inning.
Jackson threw seven scoreless innings. The Southern Jaguars pitcher allowed just four hits and three walks while striking out three.
The four innings was backed in forth in the battle of supremacy on the bump between Jackson and Pulaski starter Noah Toole. Toole pitched four innings, allowing one run on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
Tri-State opened the gate in the fourth inning when Julio Solier singled to score Ryan Maggy, giving the Coal Cats a 1-0 lead. The clinching moment came in the bottom of the fifth. Pulaski went to the bullpen with Davin Pollard, but the River Turtles allowed eight runs.
Xavier Rivera began the scoring for Tri-State with a line drive to bring home Bishop Quarles. With the bases load, Pollard hit Chandler Murray with a pitch and issued two walks, allowing the Coal Cats to reach home three more times. Ty Smolinski added to the scoreboard with a RBI groundout, and Quarles followed with a two-run double. Rivera finished the inning with an RBI single, driving in Quarles.
In the contest, the Coal Cats tallied 10 hits and drew five walks. Solier, Smolinski, and Quarles – all making their Appalachian League debuts – combined for five RBI.
Pulaski scored its lone run in the eighth inning when Johnathon Holt’s sacrifice fly scored JT Taylor.
Pulaski 000 000 010 – 1 7 0
Tri-State 000 180 00x – 9 10 0
The Coal Cats then welcomed the Johnson City Doughboys for a two-game series following splitting two games against Pulaski.
Game one would be about comebacks, as the Coal Cats rallied from an early seven-run deficit to defeat the Doughboys 11-9.
Johnson City struck first in the second inning, loading the bases and scoring three runs. Ryan Jones singled to drive in Jose Fernandez, Jackson Reid’s groundout scored Trey Majette, and Logan Dunn added a sacrifice fly to bring home Camden Kaufman.
Tri-State responded by scoring two runs of its own in the bottom of the frame with Jackson Golden’s RBI groundout scoring Jorge Gonzalez-Febo, followed by Luke Kosko’s single and a wild pitch that allowed him to score.
Both teams had strong offensive showings in the third inning, combining for 11 runs. The Doughboys scored six runs which was capped off by Logan Fyffe’s base-clearing double to extend the lead to 9-2. The Coal Cats scratched back scoring five, with Golden’s three-run double and Quarles’s RBI single to cut the deficit to 9-7.
Cesar Gonzalez earned the win in relief after entering in the fifth inning, The Boston College right-hander delivered three scoreless frames, allowing just three hits while striking out two and walking one.
Tri-State took its first lead in the fifth inning with a four-run frame. Kosko’s RBI single drove in Smolinski, Quarles’s two-run double brough home Kosko and Golden, and Solier’s RBI groundout scored Quarles, completing the comeback for a 11-9 advantage.
The bullpen sealed the deal for the Coal Cats as Aiden Sites, and Marshall product Branson McCloud shut down the Doughboys in the eighth and ninth innings.
Johnson City 036 000 000 – 9 12 1
Tri-State 025 040 00x – 11 7 2
In game two, the defensive struggles that cost the Coal Cats against Pulaski returned, as the Doughboys won 12-8.
Johnson City jumped on the attack early, scoring in the first inning when Nate Conner’s single brough home Fyffe, who singled on the game’s first pitch. The Doughboys extended their lead in the second inning, capitalizing on multiple Tri-State errors, Fyffe reached on a throwing error that scored Jackson Reid, and Willie Hurt followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0.
Tri-State started Jack Gibson was pulled after three innings and replaced by Jett Hope. Johnson City added seven runs between the fourth and fifth innings. By the end of the fifth inning, Johnson City led 10-0.
Doughboy’s starter Major Osbolt pitched the win, delivering five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out seven.
The Coal Cats avoided the mercy-rule loss as Jorge Gonzalez-Febo hit a three-run home run – his first of the season and the team’s first – to cut the deficit to 10-3.
Coal Cats tallied three more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Quarles crossed the plate on a throwing error, Gonzalez scored on a wild pitch, and Maggy grounded out to bring home Solier, cutting the gap to 12-6.
Tri-State scored two more runs in the ninth but it would not be enough. The Coal Cats finished the game with four errors.
Johnson City 120 340 020 – 12 9 2
Tri-State 000 000 332 – 8 9 4
The Coal Cats then welcomed the Greenville Flyboys to end the seven-game homestretch, but for the second week in a row, mother nature decided to bring its havoc.
Inclement weather arrived during all three days of the series. Friday was halted after three innings and resumed on Sunday. Saturday’s game was halted in the bottom of the fifth with Greenville leading 5-2 and will be resumed on July 17th at Greenville. Sunday’s game had a rain delay in the first game.
In game one, the Coal Cats were held scoreless before the game was halted. However, Tri-State stayed in the game behind the pitching performance of Tucker DeLisle, who threw three scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, and striking out five.
The game was resumed in the top of the fourth as game one of a Sunday double-header. Marshall’s Kenyon Collins picked up where DeLisle left off, throwing five innings, allowing one hit, one run, and striking out six batters.
The Coal Cats scored first in the sixth inning, when Solier’s sacrifice fly scored Mineo, who had walked and stolen both second and third base.
The Flyboys responded with seven unanswered runs off five Coal Cats errors. Greenville closed the door with a six-run ninth inning to take the 7-1 victory.
Greenville 000 000 016 – 7 5 3
Tri-State 000 001 000 – 1 3 5
Saturday’s game before being halted by weather marked the debut of the team’s alternate identity, the Huntington Slaw Dogs, under which they will play all Saturday home games.
Greenville scored three runs in the top of the first inning, with Mycah Jordan hitting an RBI single to center field to score Tyler Inge. Grant Hunter and Jordan later scored on a throwing error.
The Flyboys added two more in the fourth with Cameron Kim smashing a RBI double into right field scoring Peyton Miller, and Jordan grounding out to score Kim to increase their lead to 5-0.
The Coal Cats answered back in the bottom of the fourth, with Gonzalez knocking in an RBI single to centerfield to score Sam Winsett.
Greenville 300 20x xxx – 5 8 2
Tri-State 000 2xx xxx – 2 3 3
Sunday’s second game was déjà vu of the first, as the Coal Cats jumped out to an early lead but fell late.
Tri-State scored two runs in the first inning. Michael Rodriguez cracked an RBI single to right field to score Gonzalez, and Quarles scored a throwing error by Greenville starter Tre Jackson.
The Flyboys tied the game, 2-2, in the fourth but Rivera’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning restored the Coal Cats’ lead at 3-2.
Greenville took over the in the sixth, scoring seven runs to take a 9-3 lead. The Coal Cats scored a run in the bottom of the frame with Rivera hitting a RBI single to center field to score Winsett, but it would not be enough as the Coal Cats fell 9-4.
Greenville 000 207 0 – 9 14 2
Tri-State 200 101 0 – 4 10 3
Tri-State now sits fourth in the Appalachian League East Standings at 4-5 and are on a three-game losing streak. The Coal Cats now hit the road for a six-game road stretch with a trio of two-game trips against Pulaski, Burlington, and Danville.