SAL Greenville Drive

Big Innings by Renegades Doom Drive, 16-2

Published on April 27, 2023 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release


A six-run third, a four-run seventh, and a four-run eighth by the Hudson Valley Renegades (12-5) doomed the Greenville Drive (5-11) who could only muster two runs of their own as Renegades pitching stifled Drive batters. Renegades left fielder Aaron Palensky was the man orchestrating the run-parade for the Renegades as he chipped in seven RBIs including a three-run homer in the seventh, and a grand slam in the eighth.

The Drive's night would be rocky from the start. Starter Wikelman Gonzalez got off to a shaky start in the first inning, walking the first three Renegades batters to load the bases. He'd recover getting a sacrifice fly, a fly ball out, and a strikeout to limit the potential damage to just one run.

Blaze Jordan led off the second frame, lining into right for a single, before he'd steal second during Max Ferguson's at-bat. Ferguson wouldn't waste a 3-1 pitch, sending a soft liner to center to plater Jordan and tie the game at 1-1.

While Gonzalez seemed to settle in in the second inning, the third inning would break the game open for the Renegades. Gonzalez struggled to find the zone, walking two batters, giving up a single, another walk to load the bases, walk in a run, give up a sacrifice fly to score another, and give up a single to load the bases again, to make it 4-1 before he was relieved by Jordan DiValerio. The Renegades added two more runs off a single by Spencer Jones, and scratched their final run of the inning across on a throwing error by Nathan Hickey to make it 7-1.

The Drive would get one back in the fourth as Eduardo Lopez singled and plated Max Ferguson from third to cut the lead to 7-2.

The Renegades added a pair of lead-off-solo home runs in the fifth and seventh, respectively; the first off the bat of Anthony Garcia and the second off Spencer Henson. Palensky would add his three-run homer later in the inning to make it 12-2.

Chase Meidroth and Marcelo Mayer would get on with a pair of two-out walks in the seventh inning but Hickey would strikeout, ending hopes of a rally that might have chipped away at the large deficit.

Drive reliever Robert Kwiatkowski came on in the sixth inning and worked until two-outs in the eighth as he loaded the bases with one out, ending his night. Drive reliever Christopher Troye came on in relief but he'd face red-hot Palensky who smashed his grand slam to the top of the Green Monster in left field making it 16-2.

The Drive would go down in succession in the ninth, giving the Renegades the victory.

The Drive (Boston Red Sox) and Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees) take the field for game three of the six game series at Fluor Field tomorrow, April 27 with first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m.

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South Atlantic League Stories from April 27, 2023


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