Doughboys and Sock Puppets stay deadlocked, tie 10-10

The Johnson City Doughboys and Burlington Sock Puppets ended their emotional rollercoaster of a game in a 10-10 tie Thursday night, the first such outcome under the Appalachian League’s new extra inning rules.

Under the rules put in place by the league this summer, games end in a tie after the eleventh inning if the teams are still deadlocked.

Those same rules meant that each team started out the final inning with the bases loaded and zero outs. In the top of the eleventh at TVA Credit Union Ballpark with the teams tied 10-10, Doughboys pitcher Andrew Ronne found a new gear and struck out the side to keep the Sock Puppets off the board.

Ronne’s perfect inning meant that heading into the bottom of the eleventh, Johnson City had the bases loaded and needed just one run for the win. Yet, Burlington pitcher Chase Johnson picked up a strikeout and then induced a groundball double play to end the game at a 10-10 tie. At a little over four-and-a-half hours long, the contest was the longest in the Appalachian League this year.

Joe Vetrano hit his second home run in three games, a grand slam in the sixth inning that highlighted a seven-run frame for Johnson City. The Doughboys had entered the inning trailing 6-2, but Vetrano’s no-doubt blast, combined with an RBI triple from Jaxson Crull and an RBI walk by Cherokee Nichols, gave Johnson City a 9-6 lead heading into the seventh inning.

The Doughboys led, 9-8, heading into the ninth inning, but the Sock Puppets plated two runs to wrestle control with a 10-9 advantage heading to the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and Johnson City down to their final chance, Steven Ondina provided the game-tying base hit that scored Jordan Stevens from third base and sent the game into extras.

Ondina finished the night 3-for-4 with two walks and the game-saving RBI.

Burlington outhit Johnson City, 14-9, but the Doughboys made up the difference by working eleven walks.

Johnson City wraps up the series with Burlington Friday night at TVA Credit Union Ballpark. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Fans can purchase tickets for this weekend's homestand by visiting this website.

Fans can access a video stream of the game by visiting this website.