Crawdads Defeat Drive 5-4 in 17-Inning Marathon
April 20, 2016 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release
Hickory, NC - Nine innings weren't enough to decide a winner between the Greenville Drive and Hickory Crawdads on Wednesday, and it turned out there was plenty of free baseball to be had. When the dust settled, an Andy Ibanez walk-off hit in the bottom of the 17th gave the Crawdads a 5-4 victory.
The loss snapped the Drive's (9-5) five-game winning streak, and the game marked the longest in franchise history, besting the 16-inning contest against the Lake County Captains on August 2nd, 2006.
Following Ibanez's solo homer in the seventh to make the score 4-4, nobody would score again until the final inning. The Crawdads (10-4) received a one-out single from Eric Jenkins, and Ibanez followed with a double off Victor Diaz (0-3), his fifth hit of the day, that plated Jenkins all the way from first.
Blake Bass (1-0) hurled a scoreless top half of the 17th to get the win for Hickory. Bobby Poyner and Anyelo Leclerc each delivered three shutout innings of relief for the Drive.
The Crawdads jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first against Roniel Raudes. Following a Drive error to begin the frame, Ibanez laced an RBI double to left. Frandy De La Rosa plated Ibanez later in the inning with a sacrifice fly.
In the top of the third, the Drive plated two runs to tie the game. A dropped fly ball with two outs allowed Joseph Monge to score, and two batters later, Tate Matheny lined a run-scoring single to center. Hickory retook the lead in the bottom half when Tyler Sanchez's RBI groundout scored Eric Jenkins, who tripled to begin the inning.
After a pair of scoreless frames, Luis Alexander Basabe briefly gave the Drive a 4-3 lead in the sixth when he lifted a two-run homer to right field off Johan Juan to score Matheny, who singled.
In addition to Matheny's four-hit game, Luis Alejandro Basabe and Jhon Nunez picked up two hits apiece for Greenville.
The Drive return to Fluor Field on Thursday night to begin a four-game series against the Columbia Fireflies, affiliate of the New York Mets. First pitch is at 7:05 PM. The Drive will send right-hander Daniel Gonzalez (1-0, 1.80) to the mound in the opener, while the Fireflies will counter with right-hander Thomas McIlraith (1-1, 2.53).
South Atlantic League Stories from April 20, 2016
- Phases Come Together in 10-0 Tourists Win - Asheville Tourists
- Tourists Shut out Legends 10-0 - Lexington Legends
- 'Birds Hang Tough in 3-1 Win - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Crawdads Outlast Drive 5-4 in 17 Innings - Hickory Crawdads
- Legends Homestand: 'Boogie' Bobblehead, Pharoah Jerseys and More - Lexington Legends
- Delmarva Shorebirds Game Notes for April 20, 2016 - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Crawdads Defeat Drive 5-4 in 17-Inning Marathon - Greenville Drive
- Conlon Shuts Down Charleston for Series Win - Columbia Fireflies
- Park Extends Streak, Amburgey Stays Hots as RiverDogs Shutout, 7-0, by Columbia - Charleston RiverDogs
- GreenJackets Ride Explosive Offense to Sweep of Braves - Augusta GreenJackets
- Banks Shuts off Power Offense - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Banks Is Money, Shutting out West Virginia - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- RHP Francisco Jimenez transferred from Aberdeen - Delmarva Shorebirds
- RiverDogs Bring Excitement into Second Homestand against Augusta, April 21-24 - Charleston RiverDogs
- Big Weekend at Whitaker Bank Ballpark - Lexington Legends
- Fireflies Game Notes: April 20 vs. Charleston (Game 14) - Columbia Fireflies
- WV Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- GreenJackets Complete Rally for Thrilling 9th Inning Win - Augusta GreenJackets
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.
