SAL1 Greenville Drive

Drive Split Doubleheader with Shorebirds

Published on April 29, 2013 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


The Greenville Drive (10-15) did their best work after dark on Monday, as they rode the fantastic start from Francellis Montas to a 3-1 victory over the Delmarva Shorebirds (13-12) in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Fluor Field.

Game one was a slugfest early, with both teams putting up four runs in the first inning, but the Shorebirds held on to pick up a 6-5 win. The teams split the four-game series in their only meeting of the 2013 season.

In game two, Greenville got on the board in the bottom of the fourth against Delmarva starter Mark Blackmar (0-2). Aneury Tavarez lined a first-pitch fastball into left field for a one-out single, and David Chester followed by driving a double to right field that plated Tavarez all the way from first.

The Drive added two more runs in the fifth against Juan Guzman. Jose Vinicio tripled to deep right to lead off the inning, and two batters later, Cody Koback's line drive single to center pushed Greenville's lead to 2-0. After a popout, Boss Moanaroa laced a single to left-center field, and Koback, who was running on the pitch, flew around the bases and scored all the way from first.

Those runs were more than enough for Montas (1-3), who fired five shutout innings in his best start of the season. He faced just one batter over the minimum while striking out nine Shorebirds batters.

Delmarva scored their lone run of game two in the sixth, as Tucker Nathans greeted Drive reliever Francisco Taveras with a double to left-center, and Chase Weems followed with an RBI single to center field. Taveras bore down over the next two innings and held the Shorebirds at bay to collect his first save of the year.

Cody Koback had two hits in the nightcap for the Drive, while Torsten Boss picked up a pair of hits for the Shorebirds.

Delmarva wasted no time putting up a crooked number in game one, as they touched up Austin Maddox (0-3) for a four-spot in the first inning. Gregory Lorenzo singled to lead off the game, promptly stole second, advanced to third on an Adrian Marin single and scored on Joel Hutter's sacrifice fly. After Marin was caught stealing, Christian Walker smoked a Maddox offering over the Green Monster in left field for a solo shot. After a single and a wild pitch on a strikeout placed runners at first and second, Boss lined a triple to the right-center gap for a 4-0 lead.

The Drive answered right back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the first against Parker Bridwell (2-2). Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Boss Moanaroa, whose RBI groundout cut the lead to 4-1. Two batters later, Kevin Mager launched a three-run homer to left-center to knot the game up at four. The homer made Mager the first player in Drive franchise history to hit a homer in his first official at-bat.

The Shorebirds used the long ball in the third inning to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish, as Walker lined a one-out double to center against Maddox and Creede Simpson followed with a two-run homer over the wall in left.

The Drive cut the lead to 6-5 in the bottom half of the third, as David Chester pounded a Bridwell pitch off the business buildings beyond the left-field wall for a solo homer, but that capped the scoring for both teams for the afternoon tilt.

Bridwell picked up the victory despite allowing five runs in five frames, while Matt Price hurled the last two innings to pick up his fourth save of the year.

Walker had three hits in game one for the Shorebirds, while Boss and Wynston Sawyer collected two hits apiece. Mager drove in three for the Drive.

After an off day on Tuesday, the Drive will travel to Georgia for a three-game series with the Rome Braves. LHP Cody Kukuk (2-2, 4.15) will take the hill for Greenville in the series opener on Wednesday.

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from April 29, 2013


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