Sports stats



Greenville Drive

Drive Bounce Back Against Rome, 4-2

August 9, 2010 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


Greenville, SC - Tom Ebert (9-3) pitched 5.1 innings of tremendous relief to lead the Drive (62-51, 26-17) to a 4-2 victory over the Rome Braves (51-62, 21-23) Monday night at Fluor Field. Greenville has now taken three of the first four games of this five-game set against Rome.

Ebert did not give up any runs and allowed just one hit and two walks while fanning seven. He finished the game after coming on in relief of starter Drake Britton, who gave up two runs (both unearned) in 3.2 innings. Britton, who finished with a total of 68 pitches thrown, was again on a low pitch count as he has been for essentially the entire season.

Although the Drive would ultimately prevail, the Braves actually opened the scoring with a two-spot in the top of the third. Phil Gosselin continued his strong series with a one-out RBI-double against Britton, and later in the inning, Todd Cunningham picked up an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error by Britton, which also allowed Gosselin to score and give Rome a 2-0 lead.

The Drive, however, kept up their penchant for quick answers by scoring three to take the lead for good in the bottom of the same inning. Derrik Gibson singled to lead off the frame, and then stole second base. He came around to score when Michael Almanzar hit an infield single to third.

The grounder was deep in the hole at third and a thus a tough play for third baseman Joe Leonard, enabling Gibson to score all the way from second on the play. Consecutive singles by Vazquez and Reymond Fuentes set up Sean Killeen's two run single to put the Drive up by a score of 3-2.

That inning was the one rocky one for Rome starter Chris Masters (3-6), but it pinned him with the loss. Masters pitched a total of five innings while giving up the said three runs, allowing six hits and one walk, and striking out an impressive nine batters.

Greenville would tack on one more run in the bottom of the seventh against reliever David Hale, as Almanzar, who finished the evening 2-for-4, scored on a wild pitch with Fuentes at the plate. The 4-2 score at that point would hold up to be the final.

The Drive conclude their nine-game home-stand with the series finale against Rome Tuesday night at Fluor Field. Lefty Manuel Rivera (3-9, 4.14 ERA) will toe the slab for Greenville against Rome right-hander Willie Kempf (1-1, 2.45 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 PM.

Tomorrow is also "Green Day" at the ballpark, celebrating the City of Greenville's 179th birthday. In addition to a green t-shirt giveaway for the first 3,000 fans and post-game fireworks, the Drive will honor an individual who has helped make Greenville and the surrounding area into the dynamic and desirable community it has become.

This year's honoree is Merl Code, a prominent Greenville attorney and civic leader. For more information regarding single-game tickets, group outings, or luxury accommodations, call (864) 240-4500 or visit www.GreenvilleDrive.com.

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics

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

South Atlantic League Stories from August 9, 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