Drive Fall in Extras 6-5 to Tourists
July 7, 2025 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The Greenville Drive saw a late lead slip away Sunday afternoon, falling 6-5 to the Asheville Tourists in 10 innings at McCormick Field to drop their weekend series two games to one.
Greenville (40-40) carried a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but could not close it out, as Asheville's (37-43) bats delivered in the clutch for the second time in three days.
Drive starter John Holobetz was sharp early, allowing just two runs on six hits over five innings, striking out eight without issuing a walk. Both runs came via back-to-back solo homers in the third, when Joseph Sullivan and Walker Janek each took Holobetz deep with two outs to erase a 1-0 Greenville lead.
Greenville had jumped ahead in the second when Johanfran Garcia singled and came home on Yophery Rodriguez's RBI single.
Holobetz left in line for the win after Franklin Arias doubled to start the sixth, sparking a rally that saw Miguel Bleis walk and Garcia deliver a two-run single off Asheville reliever Nick Swiney. Freili Encarnacion added to the lead with a solo homer to center in the seventh - his third blast of the season - putting Greenville up 4-2.
Cooper Adams could not hold the advantage. The Tourists rallied for two in the eighth when Alejandro Nunez and Lucas Spence ripped back-to-back doubles and Kenni Gomez singled in Spence to tie the game 4-4.
Greenville momentarily regained the lead in the top of the eighth when Antonio Anderson doubled and scored on Rodriguez's second RBI hit of the day, making it 5-4.
Arias, the Red Sox No. 3 Prospect, went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a single, gave the Drive another chance in the ninth with a one-out double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. But Railin Perez (7-2) recovered to strike out Bleis and Taylor to strand the potential winning run 90 feet away.
Adams, who took over for Jacob Webb in the eighth, stayed on to try to finish the ninth but gave up the tying run. After a leadoff double by Sullivan - who collected three extra-base hits on the day - Nunez ripped another double down the right-field line to bring him home and tie it 5-5.
In the tenth, the Drive failed to cash in with the free runner at second. Asheville made them pay in the bottom half. After Adam Smith (2-2) recorded the first out, Chase Jaworsky - who entered the game as a defensive replacement - singled to right-center, scoring Spence to send the McCormick Field crowd of 1,979 home happy.
The Drive stranded seven runners and struck out 13 times, including three in the final two innings. They finished 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Arias, Garcia (2-for-5, 2 RBI) and Rodriguez (2-for-4, 2 RBI) accounted for seven of Greenville's 10 hits.
Asheville outhit Greenville 14-10 and had six players with multi-hit games. Sullivan and Janek homered for the Tourists, while Nunez and Spence each doubled twice.
The loss drops Greenville back to .500 as they head home for a fresh series starting Tuesday at Fluor Field. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m.
South Atlantic League Stories from July 7, 2025
- Renegades Homestand Preview: July 8-13, 2025 - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Drive Fall in Extras 6-5 to Tourists - Greenville Drive
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