Hype Hens Sizzle, Then Slip in Saturday Twin Bill
August 2, 2025 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem Hype Hens (39-60) and Greenville Drive (50-50) played a twin bill in the Triad on Saturday. After the Hype Hens took Game One by a 5-3 final, they could not complete the sweep and fell 3-2 in Game Two to the Drive.
Winston-Salem unveiled their alternate identity, the Hype Hens, for the backend of the six-game series against the Drive and broke the stylish uniforms in a 5-3 win over Greenville in Game One.
The Hype Hens got to work quickly and scored five runs in the bottom of the first of the fourteen innings on Saturday.
As fans were still headed to their seats to open the Saturday activities, Jacob Burke, Drake Logan, and Jeral Perez, the first three batters for Winston-Salem, jumped on Drive starter Brandon Clarke and loaded the bases before Greenville recorded an out.
Sammy Zavala followed suit with the bags full.
The Hype Hens' center fielder drove in Burke on a soft groundout to short, and two batters later Jackson Appel smoked a two-out, two-RBI single back up the middle to extend the Dash lead to 3-0 early.
After Cole McConnell reached on a hit-by-pitch, Wes Kath tapped a slow roller back to the mound. Clarke bobbled the slow roller and then threw the ball away to allow Appel to scamper home and make it 4-0.
After a walk to Ryan Burrowes, the bases were loaded again, and Burke, who came to the plate for a second time in the inning, drove in the fifth run of the frame.
In the end, the Hype Hens sent 11 batters to the plate, scored five runs in the bottom of the first, and chased Clarke from the game after just 0.2 innings of work.
On the other side, Christian Oppor was resilient on the bump for the Hype Hens. The lefty scattered three hits and two runs while striking out six.
In relief, Nick Altermatt (1-0) and Phil Fox (5) combined for 3.2 innings of work and got the win and save, respectively. Altermatt went 1.2 innings and gave up just a pair of hits, while Fox went a perfect 2.0 innings and fanned three to earn the save.
On the other side, Clarke (0-2) got the loss after he gave up five runs on two hits.
The Hype Hens and Greenville then got set for the second game of the evening and the fifth of the series.
In Game Two, it was the Drive that struck first. Nelly Taylor roped a double on the first pitch of the game off of starter Gage Ziehl. A few batters later, Taylor was brought in after Antonio Anderson reached on a fielding error by second baseman Ryan Burrowes to make it 1-0.
However, the Hype Hens wasted no time and answered the deficit in the bottom of the frame.
After a leadoff single by Burke, Zavala scored a double down the right field line that scored Burke from first and tied the game at 1-1.
The two teams traded scoreless innings until the fifth, when Ziehl ran into trouble. A double by Fraymi De Leon put runners at second and third for the Drive.
Jonathan Clark entered the Hype Hens' pen with the two runners on in the 1-1 game.
After Clark hit the first batter of his night, Yophery Rodriguez grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Juan Montero and made it 2-1 Drive. Johanfran Garcia then singled to bring home the third run of the game for the Drive and made it 3-1.
As the Hype Hen emerged from center field as Winston-Salem headed to the bottom of the seventh, Lyle Miller-Green gave the Hype Hens' faithful a late jolt of energy.
The tall first baseman launched his first home run of the season over the left field wall to give Winston-Salem late life and made it a one-run game with one out in the seventh, and chased Blake Aita from the game.
Drive closer, Jonathan Brand, entered to try and shut the door on the Hype Hens, but things didn't go as planned.
Burrowes reached on a fielder's choice, Burke on a single, and Zavala on a walk to load the bases for Perez.
On a 1-0 pitch, Perez gave a ball a ride to the warning track, but it landed in the glove of Will Turner to close the night.
Blake Aita was fantastic for the Drive. The righty went 6.1 innings and allowed just 5 hits and a pair of runs. His dominant performance earned him his third win of the year. Brand picked up his third save in the 0.2 innings
On the other side, Ziehl's (0-2) strugglesome fifth ultimately gave the righty the loss.
The Dash will look to salvage a split of the six-game series when the two play game six Sunday, August 3rd.
South Atlantic League Stories from August 2, 2025
- Drive Settle for Doubleheader Split with Dash, Fall Short in Game 1, Rally Late in Game 2 - Greenville Drive
- Hot Rods' Offense Silenced on Saturday in 6-0 Loss - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Serenity Now: BlueClaws Best Cyclones on Seinfeld Night, 7-4 - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Hype Hens Sizzle, Then Slip in Saturday Twin Bill - Winston-Salem Dash
- Asheville Takes One-Run Affair on Friday - Hub City Spartanburgers
- Cook's Grand Slam Lifts Spartanburgers to Share of Series - Hub City Spartanburgers
- Grand Slam Late in Game Too Much to Overcome - Asheville Tourists
- Wilmington Blanks Renegades Saturday - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Renegades Game Notes - Hudson Valley Renegades
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