Greenville Grand Slam Slams the Door on Asheville in 11-5 Loss
SAL Asheville Tourists

Greenville Grand Slam Slams the Door on Asheville in 11-5 Loss

Published on May 27, 2026 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Asheville Tourists News Release


Greenville, S.C. - There were four punches thrown in Asheville's 11-5 loss to Greenville on Wednesday afternoon. The metaphorical kind. The game itself was clean but featured some high-leverage situations. The Drive threw more of those metaphorical punches down the stretch, hammering its way to back-to-back wins over the Tourists.

Wednesday's matinee opened well for Asheville. Luis Rodriguez cut down the side and picked up a strikeout in the first inning. Tourist third baseman Reylin Perez ended that frame with a backhanded pick and a laser of a throw to first.

Greenville heated up in the second inning to throw that first punch. With two outs and runners on first and second, Drive left fielder Yophery Rodriguez got underneath a pitch and popped it up to second. The Tourist infield gathered around second baseman Kyle Walker as he waited for the third out of the frame. That out would not come yet. The ball dropped in between three Tourists and both Greenville runners had already torn around the basepaths to score. Yophery Rodriguez was safe at second. Even though the defense will take the blame for that mistake, no one touched the ball. Meaning it was ruled as a double, not an error, and counted toward Luis Rodriguez's final line. Yophery Rodriguez was brought in moments later on a Ronny Hernandez double, and Greenville ended the second up 3-0.

With the wind taken out of its sails, Asheville came back out for the top of the third and responded instantly. The top of the order did its job. Kyle Walker slapped a single and moved to second after a walk drawn by Justin Thomas Jr. That's when the Tourists threw the second punch. Astros' number three prospect, Ethan Frey, smashed a double high off the wall in left-center field to plate two runs. The very next at bat, Chase Call did the same with a double to tie. Call advanced on a wild pitch before a Mason Lytle sacrifice fly gave Asheville a 4-3 lead.

Fast forward to the bottom of the fourth. Luis Rodriguez is still on the mound and picking up steam after two strikeouts in the third. But this frame would be his undoing. Back-to-back singles set the stage for Ronny Hernandez, again. This time he delivered the third punch. The catcher jacked a powerful three-run blast halfway up the batter's eye at Fluor field to pull Greenville back in front, 6-4. After walking the next batter, Rodriguez was pulled. His final line read 3.2 innings pitched, 8 hits, 6 runs (all earned), 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.

He was replaced by right hander Raimy Rodriguez. After 1.1 innings of clean work, Rodriguez was pulled for Yeriel Santos. That's when things began to fall apart. Santos walked three batters in the bottom of the sixth, but managed to only allow one run on a sacrifice fly. Greenville entered the bottom of the seventh with a 7-4 lead. After two quick outs, the Drive dealt the fourth and final blow. Walk, walk, walk, grand slam. Enddy Azocar blew the game wide open on a towering bomb that cleared the replica green monster in left field by a mile. Greenville slammed the door on Asheville with an 11-5 lead. That is where the scoring ended for the afternoon.

The Tourists did have two bright spots. Ethan Frey had a great afternoon, batting in three runs on two doubles and drawing a walk. Reylin Perez also had a standout defensive game recording four putouts from third base including a gem of a throw in the first.

The Tourists are now 9-37. They have another chance Thursday night against the Drive. First pitch from Greenville is set for 6:45 p.m.

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 27, 2026


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