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SAL Greenville Drive

Drive Struggle To Plate Key Runners As Tourists Take 6-4 Victory

July 18, 2023 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release


A dozen hits but only four runs to show for it, ultimately downed the Greenville Drive (9-10, 45-40) on Tuesday night as they left 11 runners on base and were a measly 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position, helping the Asheville Tourists (7-12, 33-47) to a 6-4 victory. A back-and-forth affair was the name of the game in the series opener as the teams traded runs until Asheville took the lead for good in the seventh with a three-run inning.

Asheville struck early as Ryan Wrobleski ripped a double into the leftfield gap bringing home the first two runs of the game, getting to Drive starter Dalton Rogers early. But the Drive answered quickly in the bottom of the second. Eddinson Paulino led off the inning with a double; Eduardo Lopez walked and a Max Ferguson grounder into a force out put runners on the corners. Ferguson jetted for second during the ensuing at-bat and the attempt to snag him stealing allowed Paulino to steal home and get the Drive on the board. After an Alex Erro strikeout, Roman Anthony shot a hard grounder past the shortstop, scoring Ferguson, to knot the game at 2-2.

Ferguson would come through in the third for the Drive as he flared a ball into centerfield bringing home Bryan Gonzalez from third, to put the Drive up 3-2. After giving up the initial two runs in the first, Rogers settled in picking up 10 strikeouts while allowing just four hits and three runs. The third run would come via a passed ball as Ronald Rosario let a pitch slip by him bringing home Wrobleski to knot the game at 3-3.

The Drive retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Erro singled through the right side of the infield, bringing home Paulino from second after he reached on a walk and moved up 90 feet on a Lopez single. But the 4-3 lead would only last until the seventh. Reliever Casey Cobb struck out the side in the sixth but the seventh would see him fall victim to four straight hits including back-to-back RBI doubles and an RBI-single, putting the Tourists up 6-4.

The Drive's best chance to mount a comeback would come in the bottom of the ninth as Bryan Gonzalez singled to bring the tying run to the plate in Rosario. Rosario laced a single to deep leftfield but a slight hesitation by Gonzalez as he rounded second for third would squash the momentum as the throw from left field nabbed Gonzalez. Paulino would go down on a strikeout during the ensuing at-bat, giving the Tourists the 6-4 victory.

The Greenville Drive (Boston Red Sox) return to action tomorrow at Fluor Field at 7:05 p.m. for game two of the six-game series against the Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros). The Tourists lead the series, 1-0.

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South Atlantic League Stories from July 18, 2023


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