NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Greenville Drive

Kelly Outduels Spruill in Matchup of Sally League's Top Pitchers

May 25, 2009 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


Rome, GA - Though his time left on the mound may be dwindling this season, Greenville's Casey Kelly isn't letting up on South Atlantic League hitters.

The 19-year-old right-hander yielded just one hit over six scoreless innings, striking out three without walking a batter as the visiting Drive (23-20) dropped the Rome Braves (24-20), 5-1, on Monday afternoon.

A first-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2008, Kelly improved to 6-1 while lowering his ERA to a league-leading 1.12, in a matchup against the Braves' top pitcher, Ezekiel Spruill (6-1).

Bouncing back from his only loss of the year in his previous start, Kelly said he didn't make any specific adjustments heading into Monday's outing but just kept to the formula that has been working so well.

Kelly retired the first 11 batters he faced before yielding a two-out, line-drive single up the middle to Luis Sumoza in the bottom of the fourth.

Kelly retired the next seven batters in order before being removed after the sixth, matching his longest outing of the season. He also went six scoreless innings against the Augusta GreenJackets on May 14, giving up two hits and three walks for the win.

Offensively, the Drive were able to pound out 14 hits, 12 of which game against the aforementioned Spruill. Greenville used two hits and an error in the top of the second to take an early 1-0 lead, coming on Michael Almanzar's RBI-single.

An inning later, Tim Federowicz singled home David Mailman. That would be all of the scoring until the top of the eighth when the Drive added two more insurance runs. Kade Keowen, who led Greenville with three hits, capped his performance with a two-run homer. Ryan Dent added an RBI-double in the ninth for the final run.

The Drive and Braves continue their four-game series on Tuesday with first pitch set for 7:05 PM at State Mutual Stadium. Right-hander Stolmy Pimentel will toe the rubber for Greenville as right-hander Randall Delgaod heads to the mound for Rome.

The Drive return home to Fluor Field on Thursday, May 28th when they begin a seven-game homestand, starting with the Charleston RiverDogs. Single-game tickets, group outings, and luxury accommodations can be purchased by calling (864) 240-4500 or visit www.GreenvilleDrive.com for more information.

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics

• Discuss this story on the South Atlantic League message board...

South Atlantic League Stories from May 25, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central