KINGSPORT — As the old saying goes, baseball season is like a marathon. The Appalachian League’s West Division race is in for a photo finish. On Tuesday night at Hunter Wright Stadium, Johnson City needed a win against Kingsport to stay alive for a postseason berth. The Cardinals got the job done, beating the K-Mets 9-4. The Cards and Mets play for the division crown Wednesday — and the loser is likely to miss the playoffs entirely. PAYBACK Johnson City did most of its damage over the opening three frames when it scored seven of its runs. The Cardinals, one night after getting hammered 15-6 at Hunter Wright, took their turn at laying the wood to Kingsport.