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SAL Greenville Drive

Drive Drop Third in a Row to Crawdads, Fall 9-4 Thursday Night

June 6, 2024 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release


The Greenville Drive dropped their third straight to the Hickory Crawdads, falling 9-4 in Thursday night's matchup from L.P. Frans Stadium. The Drive held a 1-0 lead via a Ronald Rosario sac-fly in the opening frame for all of 10 pitches into the bottom half of the first inning as Hickory's Cam Cauley knocked a two-run homer en route to the Crawdads scratching across six runs through the first four innings.

The Drive briefly tied the ballgame in the third on as Allan Castro slashed a triple before Cutter Coffey's grounder back to pitcher Mitch Bratt was enough to score him. The 2-2 deadlock was erased quickly as back-to-back Drive errors and a Cauley single loaded the bases before a Drive attempt to turn a double play on a Sebastian Walcott grounder allowed Benjamin Blackwell to come home. A wild pitch from starter Connely Early plated Alejandro Osuna, putting the Crawdads up 4-2.

Though Early would allow six runs (four earned) on six hits, he would ring up nine Crawdads batters on the night, a career high for the lefty. He tossed the fourth though it would be no kinder to him as three-straight singles, one on a bunt, loaded the bases again for the Crawdads. Blackwell grounded into a force out allowing Piotto to score and Osuna knocked a single three pitches later to extend the lead to 6-2.

Drew Erhard, the Drive's bullpen catcher, slotted into the lineup at DH Thursday, made the most of his outing, smacking a solo homer 398-ft and beyond the left field wall, marking his second homer of the year.

Isaac Stebens relieved Early to begin the bottom of the fifth. After two quick outs, Stebens walked Konner Piotto. Piotto stole second before Anthony Gutierrez knocked an RBI-single to left field, lifting the lead to 7-3. Rosario cut the lead to 7-4 in the eighth getting Coffey home from third on a groundout into a double play.

But the Crawdads added insurance in their half of the eighth, as Gutierrez knocked an RBI-triple and Jayce Easley added the final run on a RBI-single, giving Hickory the 9-4 lead.

Bryan Gonzalez knocked a one-out single in the ninth but no rally would be in store for Greenville as Ehrhard grounded out and Liendo struckout.

The Greenville Drive return to action on Friday, June 7 for game four of the six-game series with the Hickory Crawdads. First pitch is slated for 7:00 p.m. Hickory leads the series, 3-0 and has claimed at least a split of the series.

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