River Turtles finish season in second place; Appy title game tonight in Burlington

By MIKE WILLIAMS

The Patriot

The Pulaski River Turtles fell to the Elizabethton River Riders on Saturday night, 8-6 in their Appalachian League 2022 finale.

The loss gave the River Turtles a 27-29 record on the season – good enough for second place in the league’s East Division.

Pulaski and the Bluefield Ridge Runners both finished 11 games out of first place, but Pulaski’s won-loss record generated a .482 winning percentage, .001 of a percentage point better than Bluefield’s 26-28, .481 mark.

Tonight, East Division champs Burlington hosts West Division champion Kingsport in the one-game, winner-take-all battle for the Appalachian League Championship.

Burlington’s Sock Puppets finished the regular season at 38-18 on the season, while the Kingsport Ax Men ended the regular season with the league’s best record at 37-17.

According to new league rules instituted this season, the East Division winner hosts the title game in even-numbered years, while the West winner hosts in odd-numbered years.