Drive Win Series, Grab Share of 1st Place in the SAL South
SAL Greenville Drive

Drive Win Series, Grab Share of 1st Place in the SAL South

Published on August 10, 2025 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release


GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Greenville Drive saved their best for last on Sunday afternoon at Fluor Field, rallying late and walking off the Rome Emperors 2-1 in 10 innings to close out the six-game set with a 4-2 series win.

What began as a pitchers' duel turned into a tense, extra-inning showdown decided by clutch at-bats and shutdown relief. Greenville (55-53) trailed 1-0 from the opening frame until finally breaking through in the ninth, then delivered the decisive blow in the 10th to send the Fluor Field crowd home happy.

Rome Strikes First, Sansone Settles In

Rome (44-62) wasted no time getting on the board. Colby Jones led off the first with a single and Alex Lodise followed with a double to put runners at second and third with no outs. After Isaiah Drake lined out, Mason Guerra's groundout plated Jones for a 1-0 lead. That was all the Emperors would get against Greenville starter Michael Sansone, who calmly navigated trouble across 6 2/3 strong innings, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out four.

Sansone's outing wasn't without pressure - Rome twice put a runner on third with less than two outs - but he kept the Drive in the game until the bullpen took over. Noah Dean recorded the final out of the seventh and worked into the ninth before Jonathan Brand slammed the door, striking out two in 1 2/3 perfect innings to set up the late-game drama.

Drive Offense Frustrated Early

Meanwhile, Rome starter Cedric De Grandpre was sharp, holding Greenville to one hit over five scoreless innings. The Drive loaded the bases just once against him, in the third inning, but Franklin Arias grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Greenville's struggles with runners in scoring position persisted into the late innings, with the team leaving 11 on base overall and hitting just 2-for-12 in those spots. Andruw Musett was a bright spot, collecting three of Greenville's five hits, including a double in the fifth.

Ninth-Inning Breakthrough

Trailing 1-0 in their final at-bat, the Drive finally solved the Rome bullpen. Freili Encarnacion was hit by a pitch to start the ninth and Musett followed with a single to right. Will Turner then lined a double down the right-field line, scoring Encarnacion to tie the game and moving Musett to third with no outs.

Rome reliever Logan Samuels issued an intentional walk to Arias to load the bases, setting up a potential walk-off. But the Emperors escaped further damage when Henry Godbout popped out on the infield and Nelly Taylor grounded into a double play to send the game into extras tied 1-1.

Tenth-Inning Walk-Off

Brand worked a flawless top of the 10th, stranding Rome's automatic runner at third. In the home half, Taylor began as Greenville's free runner at second. Johanfran Garcia came to the plate and delivered the decisive hit - a sharp single off the Monster that sent Taylor racing home with the winning run, sealing the Drive's 2-1 victory with no outs recorded in the inning.

Series Success and What's Next

The win clinched a 4-2 series victory for Greenville, who held Rome to one run or fewer in two of the four wins. The Drive will look to carry the momentum into their next series as the playoff race tightens in the South Atlantic League. With the win Sunday, the Drive took hold of a piece of the South Division lead shared with Bowling Green and Hub City.

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from August 10, 2025


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