Walk-Off Win in Nightcap Splits Doubleheader in Greeneville
ApL Greeneville Flyboys

Walk-Off Win in Nightcap Splits Doubleheader in Greeneville

Published on July 2, 2026 under Appalachian League (ApL)
Greeneville Flyboys News Release


GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - Johnson City earned a split of Thursday's doubleheader. Still, it was the Flyboys who had the final celebration as right fielder Evan Williams delivered a walk-off RBI single in Game 2.

The opener resumed a game originally started on June 18 before rain suspended play in the top of the second inning with Johnson City leading 2-0.

The Doughboys quickly built on that advantage after play resumed. Shortstop Gunner Skelton and third baseman Noah Cox each drove in runs in the second inning, extending the lead to 4-0.

Greeneville answered in the bottom half of the inning when catcher Nelson Grajales-Vasquez grounded into a double play that scored third baseman Nolan Behm, trimming the deficit to 4-1.

Johnson City responded immediately in the third. First baseman Jackson Geiger ripped an RBI double to score center fielder Walter Urbon, pushing the Doughboys' lead to 5-1.

The Flyboys slowly chipped away. First baseman Levi Pinder grounded into a double play that plated Bryan Williams Jr., cutting the deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the third.

The game settled into a pitching battle until the fifth inning. Designated hitter Owen Ten Oever singled home Williams Jr., and moments later Pinder lifted a sacrifice fly to score Ten Oever, bringing Greeneville within one at 5-4.

Despite threatening throughout the remainder of the game, the Flyboys could not complete the comeback. Greeneville finished 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 runners.

Johnson City pulled away late by scoring once in each of the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to claim an 8-4 victory in Game 1.

After only a 30-minute break, the two clubs returned to the field for Game 2, which quickly turned into a pitchers' duel.

Johnson City starter Ryan Weller impressed in his Appalachian League debut, tossing three scoreless innings while striking out three.

Greeneville starter Aidan VanDeHatert matched him nearly pitch for pitch, allowing just one run over three innings. Through six innings, only three combined hits had been recorded, and Johnson City's lone run in the third remained the only offense.

Everything changed in the bottom of the sixth. With the bases loaded, Ten Oever ripped a go-ahead two-run double to give Greeneville its first lead of the night at 2-1. Moments later, Matt Cash lined an RBI single to extend the advantage to 3-1.

Then came a seventh inning that will not soon be forgotten. Johnson City stormed back with three unanswered runs to seize a 4-3 lead. Noah Cox tied the game with a two-run single before Gunner Skelton delivered a go-ahead RBI double, silencing Eastman Credit Union Field and putting the Flyboys on the brink of defeat.

Greeneville refused to go quietly. Bryan Williams Jr. answered with a clutch RBI single to center field, scoring Matthew Kerrigan to knot the game at 4-4 and send the home crowd into a frenzy. In the span of six outs, the lead changed hands twice, momentum swung wildly, and a game that appeared over suddenly headed to extra innings.

Batting first in the eighth, Greeneville immediately put the pressure on. Pinch-runner Gabe Gray started the inning at second base under the international tiebreaker rule and advanced to third after a balk and a passed ball following consecutive Johnson City miscues.

With the winning run just 90 feet away, Nolan Behm battled through a lengthy at-bat before grounding out to second baseman Kenyon Hughes Jr., leaving Gray at third with one out.

One batter later, Williams stepped to the plate for what would become his final at-bat of the season.

He didn't miss his opportunity.

Williams scorched a line drive past first baseman Jackson Geiger and into right field, allowing Gray to race home with the winning run. The Flyboys poured out of the dugout to celebrate a thrilling walk-off victory, capping one of the wildest finishes of the season and earning a split of the doubleheader.

Up Next

Greeneville begins a four-game alternating home-and-away series against Elizabethton. The Flyboys will then return home for a four-game homestand against Bluefield and Kingsport at Eastman Credit Union Field.

Tickets are available at flyboysbaseball.com or by calling 423-609-7400. Follow @gflyboys on Facebook, Instagram, and X for updates and weather information.

Check out the Greeneville Flyboys Statistics

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Appalachian League Stories from July 2, 2026


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