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Greenville Drive

Drive Erase Deficit in the Eighth, Top Crawdads 10-7

May 31, 2023 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release


The Greenville Drive (25-22) erased a three-run deficit with a heart pounding, six-run eighth inning comeback to stun the Hickory Crawdads (17-26), 10-7. A one-out triple to the right field corner from Eddinson Paulino plated the go-ahead runs, sending the Fluor Field crowd into a frenzy. Drive relieve Joey Stock shut the door on the Crawdads in the ninth, preserving the victory.

The Drive received key performances from Brainer Bonaci, Miguel Ugueto, Eduardo Lopez, Ronald Rosario and Max Ferguson, who each recorded multi-hit nights at the plate. Bonaci would ultimately finish a triple shy of the cycle going 3-for-4 while he added two RBIs and a solo homerun. Rosario would finish 2-for-4 with two RBIs and on the flip side of the dish, he'd catch back-to-back runners trying to steal, helping to keep the game close when it mattered most.

It would be a game marked by runs throughout as Drive starter Dalton Rogers (making his Fluor Field debut) and Hickory's trove of six pitchers struggled to keep runners off the board.

Rogers struggled early, issuing two straight walks to lead off the second inning before a double steal put runners on second and third. A wild pitch scored one and then a double off the bat of Jacob Easley brought in another run to give the Crawdads a 2-0 lead. JP Martinez chipped in another RBI-double later in the second, putting the Crawdads up 3-0.

The Drive did their best to answer in the following innings. Rosario slapped an RBI-single to right scoring Alex Erro in the bottom of the second while Bonaci knocked this third homer run of the year in the bottom of the third to cut the Crawdads lead to 3-2.

The game would stay that way until the fifth when the Crawdads unleashed another three-run inning to boost the lead to a 6-2 thanks to an RBI-single and a sac-fly with a throwing error. The runs would come off reliever Brock Bell who made his Drive debut. He'd ultimately go 1.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, issuing one walk and picking up strikeouts.

Greenville responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth, including a Bonaci RBI-double and a Lopez RBI-single to cut the lead to 6-4. But Hickory would extend the lead again, this time off an RBI-single to make it 7-4.

The game would stay that way until the eighth inning as Drive pitcher Nate Tellier spun two innings, allowing no hits and no runs while picking up two strikeouts and dealing out two walks. Down three runs as they entered the bottom of the eighth, the Drive seemed to find their spark.

A grounder from Lopez and a single from Erro put runners on the corners before a wild pitch brought Lopez home to make it 7-5. Rosario would chip in his second RBI of the night, slapping a pitch to right field scoring error and bring the Drive to within a run. Max Fergsuon followed up Rosario with a single to put runners on first and second, setting up Paulino.

And Pauilino did not squander his opportunity. He squared up an inside breaking ball and drove it down the right field line for an RBI-triple, scoring Rosario and Ferguson with ease and sending the Fluor Field crowd into a frenzy.

The Drive wouldn't look back on their 8-7 lead, adding another run off a wild pitch and another off an Ugueto RBI-single giving them the lead 10-7. Stock came on in the ninth for the Drive shutting the door on Hickory in succession, solidifying the Drive victory.

The Drive (Boston Red Sox) return to action tomorrow, for game three of the six-game series with the Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers) with first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m. at Fluor Field. The series currently sits at 1-1.

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 31, 2023


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