Drive Edge Burgers to Regain Control of South Division
SAL Greenville Drive

Drive Edge Burgers to Regain Control of South Division

Published on August 21, 2025 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release


SPARTANBURG, S.C. - In another tense, back-and-forth battle between two teams fighting for the South Division crown, the Greenville Drive (59-57) pulled out a 3-2 win over the Hub City Spartanburgers (56-59) on Wednesday night at Fifth Third Park. The victory evened the six-game series at a game apiece and, more importantly, lifted the Drive back into sole possession of first place in the South Atlantic League's second-half standings.

The Drive scratched across the winning run in the top of the ninth after both sides traded blows in the late innings. With Johanfran Garcia placed on second to start the frame, Antonio Anderson came through with a clutch RBI double into the right-field corner, plating Garcia for a 3-2 Greenville lead. Despite loading the bases later in the inning, the Drive couldn't extend the margin, but the single run was enough thanks to a lockdown finish from the bullpen.

Early Pitching Duel

Both starting pitchers set the tone early. Greenville lefty Devin Futrell worked five strong innings, scattering six hits while limiting Hub City to just one run in the third. That run came after Casey Cook singled and Malcolm Moore followed with another base hit. Rafe Perich then drove Cook home with an RBI single to left, giving the Spartanburgers a 1-0 edge. Futrell buckled down from there, retiring nine of the final ten batters he faced.

On the other side, Hub City starter Aidan Curry was sharp as well, holding Greenville hitless through the first four frames.

Drive Answer in the Fifth

The Drive broke through in the fifth. With two outs, Fraymi De Leon ripped a double down the right-field line for Greenville's first hit of the night. Franklin Arias followed with a base hit to left, scoring De Leon to tie the game 1-1. Curry avoided further damage, but the Drive had finally cracked the scoreboard.

Late-Inning Drama

Reliever Adam Smith replaced Futrell in the sixth and tossed three strong innings, allowing just one unearned run. Greenville briefly regained the lead in the eighth when Nelly Taylor lined a double into right, scoring Justin Riemer from second to make it 2-1.

Hub City wasted no time responding. In the bottom half, John Taylor started at second and scored when Dylan Dreiling laced an RBI double to left, knotting the score at 2-2. Smith issued an intentional walk to Cook, but struck out Perich and Martin to strand the go-ahead run in scoring position.

Closing it Out

Anderson's go-ahead double in the ninth proved decisive. In the bottom of the inning, Danny Kirwin took over for the Drive and shut the door. After a flyout and a groundout moved the automatic runner to third, Kirwin struck out Ben Hartl swinging to secure his second save of the year and seal the win.

By the Numbers

Greenville managed just four hits on the night, but three went for extra bases and all directly produced runs. Arias, Taylor, Anderson, and De Leon each drove in a run, while Smith (6-3) earned the win in relief. Kirwin collected the save with a scoreless ninth.

For Hub City, Perich and Dreiling had the RBIs, while Curry struck out nine over five innings of two-hit ball. But the Spartanburgers stranded eight runners and went just 2-for-11 with men in scoring position.

Up Next

The two rivals continue their pivotal six-game series Thursday night in Spartanburg, with Greenville looking to build on its narrow division lead.

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics

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



South Atlantic League Stories from August 21, 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