Drive Swing Past Sand Gnats, 8-7

July 6, 2015 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release

Greenville, SC - A terrific offensive night for the Greenville Drive propelled them to an 8-7 victory over the Savannah Sand Gnats in front of 6,619 fans at Fluor Field on Monday. With the win, the Drive notched their first victory of the season against Savannah in ten tries.

A big hit in the bottom of the eighth helped the Drive (6-6, 44-38) break a 7-7 tie, as Joseph Monge lined an RBI single to center off Dawrin Frias (0-2) to score pinch runner Deiner Lopez from second base.

After allowing a pair of runs in the top of the eighth, Drive reliever Mario Alcantara slammed the door with two strikeouts in a perfect ninth to improve to 4-1 on the year.

The offense came early for both teams in this one, as Savannah received a two-run homer from Eudor Garcia in the top of the first to take the lead.

The Drive rebounded in the bottom of the first with three runs of their own against Casey Delgado, as Michael Chavis smacked his seventh homer of the season, a two-run blast over the Green Monster, to tie the game. Later in the frame, Rafael Devers singled and came home on a single by Javier Guerra.

A Vicente Lupo sacrifice fly in the top of the second tied the game at three, but that was all the damage done against Drive starter Reed Reilly, who settled in and allowed just those three runs over six innings with four strikeouts.

Devers joined Chavis in the home run club in the third when he launched a two-run shot off the bottom of the video board to make the score 5-3. The homer was Devers' seventh of the year, and his first at Fluor Field.

A Devers sac fly and a Savannah error in the fifth and sixth, respectively, tacked two more runs onto the Drive's total.

Chavis and Devers each had two hits and a homer for Greenville on the night, with Chavis driving home two and Devers driving in three. Guerra and Bryan Hudson chipped in with two hits each.

Tomas Nido paced Savannah with a three-hit game, and Garcia had two hits and three RBI. Michael Katz and John Mora added two hits.

The series finale begins at 7:05 PM on Tuesday night at Fluor Field. The Drive will send RH Michael Kopech (3-5, 2.89) to the mound looking for a series split, and the Sand Gnats starter is RH Eddy Villasmil (0-0, 5.63).

South Atlantic League Stories from July 6, 2015

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• WV Power Game Notes: July 6, 2015 vs. Delmarva - Charleston Dirty Birds
• Almonte Named SAL Pitcher of the Week - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
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