SAL1 Greenville Drive

Drive Keep RiverDogs on a Leash, Win 13-3

Published on June 1, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


Greenville, SC - After a lopsided loss on their home diamond yesterday to division foe Charleston RiverDogs (33-21), the Drive looked to dust themselves off and garner some respect in game two of the series. Greenville (28-26) put the game out of reach in their first at bat, and never looked back as they hit the RiverDogs in the mouth, winning 13-3 Friday night.

After one inning, starting pitcher Yeiper Castillo (5-1) jogged back to the dugout with the scoreboard unblemished. Charleston's pitcher Bryan Mitchell essentially handed Greenville their first two runs, walking four straight batters after Bryan Johns' leadoff double. Following a single hit by Jordan Weems, the Drive were quickly up 3-0. Jose Vinicio's base hit stretched the deficit to five runs, as Greenville got exactly the type of start they desired.

For obvious reasons, Charleston relieved their pitcher after just one inning. Garin Cecchini's double followed by his stolen base set up Greenville in prime position to score once again in the second. After an RBI by Moanaroa, the Drive sat at a comfortable lead of six runs after just two innings of play.

After a few careless fielding errors, Charleston got on the board for the first time in the game, closing the gap to a 6-3 Greenville advantage in the top of the fourth. When Greenville took the plate in the bottom of the inning, Charleston went to their third pitcher of the night, a testament to the offensive output by the Drive up to that point. The change was to no avail, as Jose Vinicio hit a two run double down the third base line, giving him a career-high four RBI for the game. The offense continued to roll as Johns hit another two run double, making it the first multi double game for his career. At this point the Drive were ahead 10-3, and were hitting on all cylinders.

Castillo pitched another shutout in the fifth inning, as Charleston went with their fourth pitcher of the night; this one stopped the onslaught as he at least kept the score knotted at 10-3 Greenville. To start the sixth inning, the Drive went with Justin Erasmus, who was looking to get back on track after giving up a few homers in his last outing. Erasmus followed Castillo's lead, holding Charleston scoreless in the sixth inning. Blake Swihart capitalized on his next at bat, knocking a home run over the right field wall to make the score 11-3.

Erasmus continued to produce, pitching his third consecutive scoreless inning in the seventh. At his next at bat, Bryan Johns continued to shine from the plate, hitting his third double of the night at the bottom of the seventh. In desperation to stop the offensive leakage from the Drive, the RiverDogs went with their fifth pitcher of the night.

History continued to repeat itself in the case of Boss Moanaroa, as he extended his hit streak to fifteen games at the bottom of the seventh, this time belting a homerun over the right field wall. Moanaroa's bomb gave Greenville a ten run lead heading in to the final innings of the night. Erasmus took the mound again at the top of the eighth, looking to finish the night with all shutout innings. He accomplished just that, making it four scoreless innings by giving Charleston three quick outs.

The Drive and RiverDogs continue their three-game series on Saturday night, with first pitch set for 7:05 PM. Left-hander Henry Owens (4-2, 5.63 ERA) will toe the rubber for Greenville, while Charleston counters with right-hander Scottie Allen (1-3, 5.02 ERA).

Throughout tomorrow evening's game, the Drive will celebrate the sixth birthday of their lovable mascot, Reedy Rip'It. For ticket information, call (864) 240-4500 or visit GreenvilleDrive.com.

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 1, 2012


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