SAL1 Greenville Drive

Drive Capture Thrilling 6-5 Victory in 12 Innings

Published on May 7, 2009 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


Savannah, GA - Zach Gentile continued his torrid month of May, delivering a two-out, pinch hit RBI-single in the top of the 12th, scoring Oscar Tejeda from second base as the Drive (16-12) defeated the Savannah Sand Gnats (15-12), 6-5, at Historic Grayson Stadium.

Thursday's game looked like a repeat of the previous day as the Drive took a three-run lead into the bottom of the ninth, only to have the Sand Gnats erase the deficit and send the game into extra innings.

Savannah batters recorded three consecutive hits off reliever Lance McClain to begin the frame, including an RBI-single by Sean Ratliff. Jean Luc Blaquiere followed with a sacrifice fly before Jake Eigsti's two-out single tied the game.

Felix Ventura (1-1) recorded the final out in the bottom of the ninth, stranding a pair of runners, and held the Sand Gnats scoreless in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth innings to record the win. The right-hander allowed two hits and two walks, while fanning a pair in 3-1/3 innings.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Drive mounted their lead by scoring two runs in the third and sixth innings. With two outs and two runners on, Ryan Dent gave Greenville the lead when laced a double to score Will Middlebrooks and Mitch Dening.

Three innings later, David Mailman collected an RBI-single and Michael Almanzar, who finished 3-for-6, scored on a Josh Stinson wild pitch. Josh Satin cut into the Drive's lead in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI-single before Tim Federowicz put Greenville back up by three with a solo homer in the eighth.

It looked as if Manual Olivares (0-2) would hold the Drive scoreless in the top of the 12th when Almanzar led off the inning with a fly out and Mailman singled but was gunned down trying to stretch it into a double. But Tejeda doubled, setting up Gentile's heroics.

Bryan Price's strong starting effort allowed the Drive to mount their early lead, as the right-hander was able to overcome four defensive errors, yet allow just one unearned run in six innings. A 2008 sandwich pick, Price limited Savannah to just two hits while striking out a season-high eight batters.

The Drive and Sand Gnats meet in game three of their four-game set Friday night with first pitch set for 7:05 PM. Right-hander Casey Kelly looks to improve to 5-0 on the season as he takes the mound for Greenville, as Savannah counters with right-hander Jeurys Familia.

The Drive return home to Fluor Field on Monday, May 11th when they begin an eight-game homestand, beginning with the Augusta GreenJackets. Monday's game will be preceded by a BB&T Collegiate Baseball Series match-up between the Clemson Tigers and Furman Paladins at 4 PM. Single-game tickets, group outings, and luxury accommodations can be purchased by calling (864) 240-4500 or visit www.GreenvilleDrive.com for more information.

NOTES: This was the first time the Drive played in back-to-back extra inning games since May 13-14, 2006...in 4 May games, Zach Gentile is batting .545 (6-for-11) with 4 RBI...Gentile's hits and RBIs already exceed his totals in April (3 hits and 1 RBI in 11 games)

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics

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



South Atlantic League Stories from May 7, 2009


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