Hub City Survives Ninth Inning Scare at Asheville
Published on August 28, 2025 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Hub City Spartanburgers News Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Hub City pitching dominated Asheville batters for eight innings on Thursday night. After a pair of early runs, the 'Burgers added three insurance runs in the ninth. The Tourists (21-33, 50-69) got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but the Spartanburgers (30-27, 61-61) held on for a 5-2 win.
Rangers' No. 8 prospect Caden Scarborough made his second High-A start and gave up as many runs as he did in his first start: zero. The right-hander tossed four scoreless innings and struck out six. Scarborough stranded three runners in scoring position through the first four frames.
Run support came from the Spartanburgers' offense in the second inning against starter Nolan DeVos (L, 0-1). Casey Cook led off the inning with a walk, extending his team-leading on-base streak to 17 games. Two ground ball outs advanced Cook to third, then Arturo Disla came up big with a single through the right side of the infield. Hub City doubled its lead in the third, as Paxton Kling scored on a Cook sacrifice fly.
Brooks Fowler (W, 2-0) took the baton from Scarborough in the fifth inning and excelled in his piggyback appearance. Fowler struck out five of the first seven batters he faced; the only batter of the first seven to reach base was picked off first.
Asheville mounted a threat in the bottom of the eighth. Right fielder Drew Brutcher barely missed a home run, bouncing a double off the top of the center field wall. Fowler retired the next two hitters, but a single to shallow left put runners on the corners with two outs. Facing Asheville's top prospect Walker Janek, Fowler forced a popout to second to end the inning.
The Spartanburgers offense cushioned the lead in the top of the ninth against Alejandro Torres. With one out, Antonis Macias walked, and Dylan Dreiling doubled to right. Torres hit Kling to load the bases, and Malcolm Moore drove in two with a line drive to center field. Hub City tacked on a third run in the inning with another sacrifice fly from Cook.
Jesus Gamez retired the first batter of the bottom of the ninth but walked the next four batters he faced. Victor Simeon (S, 3) took over in a 5-1 game with the tying run at the plate. A wild pitch brought in a second run for Asheville, but Simeon struck out Drew Vogel and forced a groundout from Wilton Lara to finish the game.
Hub City sends lefty Dalton Pence (1-2, 1.41 ERA) to the mound on Friday night to face Asheville righty Derek True (2-7, 6.27 ERA). First pitch of game four is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET.
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