Late Rally Falls Short as Braves Top Drive, 6-4
August 8, 2010 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release
Greenville, SC - Reynaldo Rodriguez made solid contact, and for a fleeting moment it seemed as though the Drive (61-51, 25-17) would at least tie if not win in the ninth against Rome (51-61, 21-22).
However, Greenville's hopes were snuffed out on a great diving catch by Rome third baseman Joe Leonard. His catch ended the Drive's ninth-inning rally and preserved a 6-4 victory for the Braves.
Down 6-4 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Drive loaded the bases, and in so doing, forced the Braves to make two pitching changes. Wilfred Pichardo led off the inning with a single, and after consecutive strikeouts by Kenneth Roque and Derrik Gibson, Shannon Wilkerson and Jeremy Hazelbaker each drew a walk to load the bags for Rodriguez.
Nevertheless, Greenville could not complete the rally, as Rodriguez's line drive down the third-base line was snagged by Leonard. David Francis was the beneficiary of Leonard's great defensive play, as he picked up his third save of the year after coming in just to face Rodriguez. Starter Ryan Weber (1-0) earned the victory for the Braves. He pitched six innings and gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits.
The Drive had actually been holding onto a 4-3 lead until the top of the seventh inning, when Rome put up three runs that would prove to be the difference. The Braves put together a barrage of hits against Drive reliever Pedro Perez (6-4), and Todd Cunningham, Joe Leonard - contributing offensively as well as defensively - and Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg each picked up an RBI. In all, Rome had five hits in the inning.
The scoring prior to that came early, as the two teams went back-and-forth during the first three innings. The Braves jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first innings as a result of Leonard's two-run double off Greenville starter Ryan Pressly that scored Gosselin and Cunningham. Leonard, Gosselin, and Cunningham each had three hits on the evening, and Leonard also racked up three RBI.
The Drive got one back in the bottom of the frame when Hazelbaker plated Gibson with a sacrifice fly to center. Gibson, the leadoff man, had reached on an error by Rome shortstop Matt Weaver. He then stole second and advanced to third on a groundout by Wilkerson before scoring on Hazelbaker's fly ball.
Trailing 2-1, Greenville then took its first lead in the second inning on a two-run single up the middle by Gibson. Christian Vazquez and Wilfred Pichardo scored on the play. The Drive's 3-2 lead did not last long, however, as Rome knotted the score in the top of the third via Spanjer-Furstenburg's RBI-single that scored Gosselin from second base.
The Drive had an immediate answer once again in the bottom of the third. Hazelbaker, leading off the frame, crushed a long home run to center-field. The solo tater was Hazelbaker's 10th of the season, and it gave Greenville a 4-3 lead. The Drive would hold that lead until Rome's decisive three-run rally in the top of the seventh.
The Drive and Braves will continue this five-game set Monday night at Fluor Field. Left-hander Drake Britton (1-1, 3.09 ERA) will get the start for the Drive against Rome southpaw Chris Masters (3-5, 3.51 ERA) in the series' fourth game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.
For more information regarding single-game tickets, group outings, or luxury accommodations, call (864) 240-4500 or visit www.GreenvilleDrive.com.
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