Hub City Victorious in Offensive Odyssey of Series Finale
Published on May 17, 2026 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Hub City Spartanburgers News Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Hub City and Asheville played a fitting series finale Sunday afternoon, a 19-12 shootout in favor of the 'Burgers. The teams combined for 34 hits and three hours and 44 minutes of baseball. Hub City's 19 runs are a new franchise record, usurping the 18 scored on Thursday.
The Spartanburgers came into the week with 30 home runs as a team. In six games, Hub City hit 22 long balls into the trees beyond HomeTrust Park (plus an inside-the-park round-tripper from Chandler Pollard) and scored 77 runs. Sunday's six homers set a new single-game record.
The power came early, as Rafe Perich rocked a two-run blast over the right-center field fence against Asheville starter Nolan DeVos. The 'Burgers added another in the second; Quincy Scott reached on a dropped third strike and scored on a two-out RBI single from Luke Hanson. The Tourists responded in the bottom of the second against Spartanburgers' starter D.J. McCarty with an RBI double from Chase Call.
After a scoreless third, Pollard plated Scott in the top of the fourth with a soft ground ball up the middle which was ruled an error on the second baseman Reylin Perez. The slow spinner was deflected into left field, allowing Scott to score from second. Trailing 4-1, Asheville promptly tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Call ripped a two-run homer and Zach Daudet scored on a sacrifice fly.
Both starters returned for the fifth inning and neither finished the frame. Doubles from Maxton Martin and Perich knocked DeVos out of the game. Malcolm Moore immediately greeted Conor Steinbaugh with a home run to give Hub City a three-run lead. McCarty exited with one out and two on in the bottom of the fifth, and Aneudis Mejia took over in his minor league debut. Before Mejia could end the inning, Zach Daudet launched a game-tying homer to left field.
Hub City went back to work against Steinbaugh in the sixth. With one out, Hanson thrust the 'Burgers back in front with a solo homer. An out later, Perich went deep for the second time in the game. After a single and a walk, Gleider Figuereo plated two more to end Steinbaugh's day. Joan Ogando came in and put an end to the top of the sixth, but not before Yeison Morrobel doubled Figuereo home as the fifth run of the inning.
Mejia struggled to find outs in the bottom of the sixth. A walk and two singles loaded the bases with no outs. Figuereo then received an error when he bobbled a ground ball to third, allowing everyone to advance and Asheville to score its first run of the inning. A popout later, Chase Call drove in two more runs with a double. Two wild pitches moved two more runs in and tied the game. Mejia recorded one more out before Cole Roland took over to get the final out of the inning.
The bats were suddenly, surprisingly silenced in the seventh. Asheville's Ogando struck out the side. Roland (W, 1-0) faced the minimum and fanned two in the bottom half, then continued through the eighth and posted another zero, in part because of a double play from Pollard.
Still tied at 12, Hub City finally went ahead for good in the eighth. Two straight singles from Martin and Moore began the inning, then Paxton Kling and Figuereo mashed back-to-back home runs. Kling has now homered in four straight games, a new Spartanburgers best, and Figuereo wrapped up his weekend with home runs Saturday and Sunday. Up 16-12, the Spartanburgers tacked on three more in the ninth for safekeeping. A double, a walk, a two-RBI single from Figuereo and a wild pitch did the trick. Jesus Gamez got the final three outs in the win.
The Spartanburgers return home after a five-win week to host the Rome Emperors, High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, at Fifth Third Park. First pitch of game one on Tuesday is slated for 6:35 p.m. ET. Arturo Disla bobbleheads will be given out to the first 1,000 fans through the gates.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 17, 2026
- Late Effort Not Enough in Hot Rods 12-10 Loss to Drive - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Hub City Victorious in Offensive Odyssey of Series Finale - Hub City Spartanburgers
- Renegades Swept by Frederick - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Keys Sweep Renegades and Win Seventh Straight in Series Finale - Frederick Keys
- Brooklyn unable to overcome early three-run deficit in series finale - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Tourists Drop Series Finale - Asheville Tourists
- Bonemer's Late Blast Lifts Dash Past Wilmington - Winston-Salem Dash
- Hoppers Take Series Finale from Claws 18-7 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Renegades Game Notes - 5/17/2026 - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Brooklyn Cyclones Game Notes - Sunday, May 17 - at Rome (1:00 PM ET) - Brooklyn Cyclones
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
