NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Greenville Drive

Drive Claim 6-2 Victory Behind Strong Effort from Drake Britton

April 14, 2010 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


Greenville, SC - Drake Britton may not have earned the win Wednesday night, that distinction went to teammate Kendal Volz as the Drive (3-4) defeated the Braves (5-2) 6-2. But the lefty did take a huge step forward following his previous outing.

A 2007 draft pick, Britton allowed just three hits over 5.0 scoreless innings while striking out five before turning the game over to the bullpen. The southpaw faced the minimum through three innings, having the only baserunner allowed erased by a double play.

Catcher Dan Butler set his battery mate up for the win in the bottom of the fourth when he sent a 2-1 offering from Julio Teheran over the Green Monster. Not only did the homer break a scoreless tie, but it was Greenville's first hit of the game.

However, the Braves answered for a pair of runs in the top of the sixth off Volz (1-0). Cory Harrilchak tied the game with an RBI-double and gave Rome the lead when he scored on Christian Bethancourt's base hit.

But the Drive showed their resiliency, striking for five runs over their final two at bats. Following back-to-back leadoff singles by Christian Vazquez and Zach Gentile, it looked as if the duo would be stranded as Ryan Weber (0-1) retired the next two batters.

Wilfredo Pichardo delivered the eventual game-winning hit, lacing a double down the rightfield line to regain the lead for Greenville. An inning later the Drive plated three runs on an RBI-triple by Jeremy Hazelbaker, sacrifice fly from Reymond Fuentes, and a two-out run-scoring single by Zach Gentile.

The Drive will look to claim a series victory when they meet the Braves in the finale on Thursday. First pitch is set for 7:05 PM from Fluor Field, as a pair of lefties duel it out with Manuel Rivera (0-1, 7.20 ERA) for Greenville and Brett Oberholtzer (0-0, 0.00 ERA) for Rome.

Opening Week, presented by Carolina First, concludes tomorrow with Dollar Drink Night at Fluor Field. All fans can purchase 12 ounce Pepsi products at any of the concession stands for just a dollar, while those 21-year-of-age and older can head over to The 500 Club for draft specials. For more information regarding single-game tickets, group outings, and luxury accommodations, visit www.GreenvilleDrive.com or call (864) 240-4500.

GAME NOTES:

Attendance was 4,595...Derrik Gibson's hit streak was snapped at 5 games...neither Britton nor Volz issued a base on balls, while combining for 9 strikeouts...the Drive stole at least one base for the 7th straight game (Gibson)...the Drive honored retiring Furman University President Dr. David Shi during Wednesday's game.

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics

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

South Atlantic League Stories from April 14, 2010


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