Doughboys Complete Incredible Late Comeback, Steal Friday Night Duel vs. Elizabethton
ApL Johnson City Doughboys

Doughboys Complete Incredible Late Comeback, Steal Friday Night Duel vs. Elizabethton

Published on July 17, 2026 under Appalachian League (ApL)
Johnson City Doughboys News Release


ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. - The Johnson City Doughboys were down to their final out numerous times but found ways to crawl back in it for a 7-5 win over the Elizabethton River Riders on Friday night.

Doughboys righty Jayce Rollins got the nod for his seventh start of the summer, and after two complete scoreless innings with three strikeouts, the River Riders struck first on the scoreboard.

In the bottom of the third, Nick Riordan walked, and Brady Richardson drove him in with a sacrifice fly. But Rollins shut them down to record four innings of two-hit baseball with six total strikeouts to continue his streak of flawless appearances.

Johnson City then quickly responded with one run of its own. Eli Thurmond drilled his second home run of the season 402 feet to left-center, tying things up at one apiece.

The Doughboys then added two more runs in the fifth. After Blake Herrell reached on an error, Kenyon Hughes Jr. recorded his second home run of the summer on the first pitch he saw in the at-bat.

With the away side up on the scoreboard, Daniel Quintero pitched two scoreless innings to start his appearance.

However, the River Riders would take the lead with a four-run bottom of the seventh. Brady Richardson logged his first double of the season to drive one in, and a pair of singles from Austin Rose and Mikey Vanderhayden knotted things up at three.

Two more runs for Elizabethton came in on a pop-up to first, where the Doughboys defender was ruled in the dugout, and an RBI walk for Miles Shore in his season debut gave the home side all momentum.

Johnson City showed some fight in the eighth, however, when Jackson Geiger crushed a ground-rule double after a Nate Eisfelder walk, followed by an Eli Thurmond free pass as well. But, after two strikeouts from lefty Collin Bolla, the Doughboys left them loaded this time to end the inning.

Doughboys reliever Hiram Lewis held the score at 5-3, going 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Gabe Tanous singled and Hughes Jr. reached again on the walk.

After a double steal from his teammates, Noah Cox drove in one run with an RBI sacrifice fly, but Johnson City was down to its final two outs. This is when the Doughboys hit another gear and came up with some clutch at-bats.

Starting the charge with one out left, Eisfelder drew a walk, then a critical defensive error by the home team tied it at five. Thurmond walked as well for his second of the game, bringing up Walsh with the bases juiced.

Walsh delivered the biggest hit of the night with a line drive single to left field, driving in two for his first knock of the game. The away team's dugout went crazy, taking the lead, 7-5, when all hope looked lost.

Recent Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year Julien Hachem walked in from the right-field bullpen, now in a save opportunity. The towering left-hander struck out the first batter he saw, then after some trouble with a walk and single, he shut the door by relying on the defense behind him.

Herrell reeled in a lineout and then made a play on a groundball to end the game, sending his entire team onto the field to embrace Hachem. With clutch performances, incredible late pitching and a bit of luck thrown in, Johnson City escaped Elizabethton with a 7-5 win.

The Doughboys now move to 19-17 on the season. With the critical victory, the team now moves to a more comfortable second place in the Appalachian League West, 2.5 games back from the first-place Kingsport Axmen.

Notables:

€” The first three runs for Johnson City came on home runs.

€” Rollins had a great start, backed up by Lewis and Hachem coming up clutch in the final innings, for a total of eight strikeouts for the trio.

Up Next:

The Doughboys will take on the River Riders again on Saturday at TVA Credit Union Ballpark for a Yadier Molina Bobblehead Giveaway Night under the lights. You can get your tickets at https://www.appyleague.com/johnson-city/tickets to join the fun!

Also, be sure to follow our Instagram, @jc_doughboys, to keep up with the team all season long and stay in the loop!

By Taylor Gautney

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Appalachian League Stories from July 17, 2026


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