SAL1 Greenville Drive

Drive Edge Lexington, 10-9, in Shootout Thursday

April 26, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Greenville Drive (10-10) used a pair of four-run innings to hold off the Lexington Legends (10-10) for a 10-9 victory on Thursday night at Whitaker Bank Ballpark. The 10 runs are a season-high for the Drive and the most since scoring 10 runs on August 8 last season.

Greenville wasted no time getting on the board, putting up a crooked number in the opening frame. The first four batters of the game reached base via a walk, allowing Cole Brannen to score the first run of the game on a bases-loaded walk by Kole Cottam. Back-to-back wild pitches brought across the next two Drive runs, before a sac fly by Devlin Granberg scored Cottam to put the Drive in front 4-0 without recording a hit.

Lexington responded with lone runs in the first and second innings. The Legends loaded the bases with three straight singles in the first, managing a run on a bases-loaded walk by Chase Vallot. In the second, Rubendy Jaquez tripled to center with one out and a groundout by Michael Gigliotti scored him to make it a 4-2 game.

The Drive extended the lead with lone runs in the third and sixth innings. A solo home run by Jordan Wren, his second homer of the season, added one in the third. In the sixth, Triston Casas doubled to lead off the inning and two batters later scored on an RBI groundout by Brandon Howlett to give the road team a 6-2 advantage.

Lexington broke out in a big way in the bottom half of the sixth, scoring seven times to claim a 9-6 lead. The Legends sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning, recording five hits and two walks, including a solo home run to lead off the inning by Reed Rohlman.

Greenville answered in its next at-bat, putting together its second four-run inning of the night. A lead-off walk to Grant Williams and back-to-back doubles by Brannen and Tyler Esplin pulled the Drive to within one and put the tying run in scoring position. Three batters later, Casas hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot to left to give the Drive a 10-9 lead.

Alex Demchak (1-0) nailed it down from there, allowing just one base runner over the final three frames to earn his first win in 2019 and preserve the Drive's sixth one-run victory of the season.

Drive starter Brayan Bello turned in another solid start, working 5.0 innings and allowing two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts against two walks in the no-decision.

Casas led the Drive at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs and two RBI. The top three in the Drive order of Brannen, Esplin and Wren each scored twice in the contest, while Esplin also drove in two.

Game two of the series is set for 7:05 p.m. on Friday night. RHP Alex Scherff (0-1, 2.77 ERA) will take the hill for the Drive.

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics



South Atlantic League Stories from April 26, 2019


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