SAL Greenville Drive

Back-And-Forth Affair Ends in Drive Loss, 11-6

Published on April 25, 2023 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release


A back and forth affair throughout the night at Fluor Field ended in tough fashion for the Greenville Drive (5-10) as Drive reliever Alex Hoppe was battered for five-runs in the top of the ninth, giving the Hudson Valley Renegades (11-5) all they needed to collect a 11-6 victory to open the six-game series in Greenville.

The Drive did have some bright spots in the loss, as Blaze Jordan clobbered his second home run of the year, and Marcelo Mayer chipped in two RBIs and collected a double during his 2-for-5 night at the plate. Drive reliever Casey Cobb continued his strong start to the season, tossing two perfect innings while fanning two. In Cobb's 9.2 innings of work this season, he's allowed just two runs and six hits while picking up 13 strikeouts and currently holds a 1.86 ERA.

The Drive opened the scoring in the first inning, rattling off four runs, including a rather startling way to score. Eddinson Pualino led off with a double that clanged off the Green Monster and Chase Meidroth walked to give Mayer two runners to work with. Mayer ripped a single to right field, plating Paulino but the throw would bounce off Renegades' catcher Antonio Gomez's mitt and roll into the foul line just right of home plate.

A scrambling Gomez couldn't locate the ball just inches from his feet and a speedy and gutsy Meidroth took off from third and scored before the Renegades could collect the ball to make it 2-0, Drive.

Mayer scored on a wild pitch after he moved to third on passed ball to the prior batter. Jordan would finish off the scoring, sending a towering homer to centerfield - his second of the year - to make it 4-0 Drive.

The Renegades would have a scoring parade of their own in the top of third, plating five runs off Drive starter Grant Gambrell. Aldenis Sanchez reached on an error by Paulino, and Spencer Jones doubled. Sanchez would score on ground out and Jones would score on a wild pitch cutting the lead to 4-2.

Caleb Durbin reached on a single and Ben Rice walked putting two on with one out. Gambrell would pick up a strikeout but Renegades' batter Grant Richardson would send a three-run homer to right field, making it 5-4 in favor of Hudson Valley.

But the lead wouldn't last long as the Drive struck again in their half of the third. Meidroth knocked a lead off single and Mayer would send his team-leading 11th RBI off the Green Monster for a double to Meidroth and tie the game at 5-5.

But that tie wouldn't last long, either.

With two outs in the top of the fourth, Jones slashed a triple and came around to score on a Vargas single to make it 6-5, Hudson Valley.

Cobb relived Drive starter Gambrell in the fifth, tossing two perfect relief innings while collecting two strikeouts in the process. Gambrell finished his night recording four innings pitched, allowing six runs on five hits (only two earned), with three walks and four strikeouts.

Graham Hoffman kept the Renegades in check in the seventh allowing just one hit and collecting a strikeout, allowing the Drive to knot the game in the bottom of the seventh, as Nathan Hickey fired off a triple with two outs and scored after a pickoff attempt went awry after Meidroth walked.

Drive reliever, Joey Stock shut the door on Renegades in the top half of the eighth, striking out the side.The game would remain tied through the eighth, though the Drive nearly took the lead. Drive runner Tyler Miller was stuffed at the plate as he rounded third on a Gilberto Jimenez double, about a half-step from being safe.

It would be the closest the Drive would get to winning the rest of the night.

In the top of the ninth, the Renegades battered Drive reliever Alex Hoppe. Jones lead of with a triple and Vargas would homer on the ensuing at-bat to make it 8-6. Hoppe would give up a single then a walk. Antonio Gomez doubled to score Durbin, but good fielding from Miller allowed cut-off man Mayer to gun down Ben Rice at the plate to keep it 9-6.

Two batters later Spencer Henson crushed a two-run homer to the top of the monster to make it 11-6. Hoppe would be relived after collecting one more out, as Joe Jones took the bump. He'd face two batters, giving up a single and striking out one to send it to the bottom of the ninth.

Drive batter would go down in succession to give the Renegades the 11-6 victory.

The Drive (Boston Red Sox) and Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees) take the field for game two of the six game series at Fluor Field tomorrow, April 26 with first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m.

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from April 25, 2023


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