Drive Blanked by Emperors 6-0 in Series Finale
SAL Greenville Drive

Drive Blanked by Emperors 6-0 in Series Finale

Published on May 11, 2025 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release


ROME, Ga. - Brett Sears tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings and the Rome Emperors capitalized on a flurry of Greenville errors to cruise to a 6-0 victory over the Drive on Sunday afternoon at AdventHealth Stadium.

With the win, Rome (19-14) claimed the series finale and improved to 12-5 at home. Greenville (14-19) dropped its third straight and was held scoreless for the third time this season.

Sears (2-0) continued his dominant start to the year, scattering two hits and one walk while striking out six. He was backed by a bullpen trio of Austin Smith, LJ McDonough, and Samuel Strickland, who combined to hold the Drive to just one hit over the final 3 1/3 innings.

Greenville's bats were silenced all afternoon, mustering only three hits and striking out 12 times. No Drive batter reached third base, and the team went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

Rome broke through in the second inning with a pair of runs, helped along by a passed ball, a hit-by-pitch, and aggressive baserunning. Justin Janas brought home the game's first run with a sacrifice fly, and Lizandro Espinoza followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0.

The Emperors added four more in the fifth, taking advantage of two Greenville throwing errors and three stolen bases. Titus Dumitru's RBI single sparked the rally, and Dylan Shockley and Janas each added sacrifice flies to extend the lead. Espinoza chipped in his second RBI of the game during the frame.

Brandon Clarke (0-1) took the loss in his second start for Greenville, allowing two earned runs over 2 1/3 innings. Relievers Max Carlson and Zach Fogell combined to allow four runs (two earned), with Fogell turning in 3 2/3 strong innings to close it out.

Zach Ehrhard led the Drive at the plate with a single, walk, and stolen base. Franklin Arias and Nelly Taylor had the other two hits for Greenville, who committed three errors in the field and allowed nine stolen bases.

The Drive will return to Fluor Field on Tuesday to open a six-game series against the Hub City Spartanburgers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from May 11, 2025


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