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SAL Greenville Drive

Drive Fall 11-7 to Aberdeen in High-Scoring Affair

September 5, 2023 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release


A six-run inning from the Aberdeen IronBirds (29-31, 61-63) - bolstered by four-extra base hits including a pair of RBI-doubles, a home run and an RBI-triple - doomed the Greenville Drive (27-34, 63-64) Tuesday night as they dropped the series opener, 11-7.

The explosive inning aside, the Drive had their chances Tuesday night, putting together six runs in the late innings while also holding a lead at two different points of the game, albeit early. They also finished the night with 11 hits and were the benefactors of five IronBirds' errors. Each member of the Drive lineup also recorded a hit.

Drive starter Robert Kwiatkowski, making his first spot-start of the year, allowed just two hits and one run with three strikeouts in his 2.2 innings of work before he gave way to reliever Jordan DiValerio with the run coming via a Elio Prado home run that knotted the game at 1-1. The Drive run came via a Bryan Gonzalez RBI-single in the top of the third.

DiValerio's tour of the mound didn't start hot as the third pitch he tossed ended up over the leftfield via a Mac Horvath homer, putting the IronBirds up 2-1 in the third.

In their half of the sixth, the Drive regained the lead after a Tyler Miller homer tied the game at 2-2 and a Gilberto Jimenez RBI-ground-rule double put the Drive ahead 3-2. But 33 pitches and two pitchers, the Drive found themselves staring down a 8-3 hole as the game flipped to the seventh. DiValerio surrendered another Horvath homer and Carter Young's and Matthew Etzel's RBI-doubles before Sena gave up the RBI-triple from Prado and a Isaac De Leon bunt single to make it 8-3.

The Drive drew within two following the conclusion of the top of the seventh getting three runs back thanks to a Jimenez RBI-single and a Karson Simas RBI-double that scored two making it 8-6.

But that momentum quickly evaporated in the bottom of the seventh as Drive reliever Reidis Sena loaded the bases with no outs. An RBI-groundout and an RBI-single later and the Drive found themselves back down four.

Eddinson Paulino notched his 12th homer of the year in the eighth, tying him with Blaze Jordan and Roman Anthony (both of whom are now at the AA level) for the most homers by a member of the Drive this season.

The IronBirds rounded out the scoring in the eighth as Enrique Bradfield Jr. stole third and Rosario's attempt to nab him at third sailed into the outfield allowing Bradfield to cross the plate and boost the lead to 11-7.

The Greenville Drive (Boston Red Sox) return to action Wednesday, September 6th for game two of the six-game series with the Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore Orioles) to close out the regular season. The Drive return to Fluor Field on September 14th for the SAL Playoffs.

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics



South Atlantic League Stories from September 5, 2023


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