SAL Greenville Drive

Koss, Dearden Drive Greenville to 6-5 Win

Published on July 6, 2021 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release


Greenville, S.C. - The Drive held off a late Aberdeen rally to win game one, 6-5, on a Tyler Dearden solo homer and Christian Koss go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning Tuesday night at Fluor Field.

In the eighth inning Greenville took a 6-5 lead. Dearden led off the frame and deposited a 1-2 pitch beyond the train tracks in right field for a solo homer. The ball traveled 393 ft. Wil Dalton then reached base with one out on a liner double to right. Two batters later, Koss played a little pepper off the Green Monster for the winning RBI on a double.

For the night, the Drive compiled nine hits, one double and two homers. Brandon Howlett tallied two RBI on his two-run homer. Four more players registered RBI: Koss, Dearden, Tyreque Reed and Dom D'Alessandro. Reed got one hit to extend his hitting streak to 10-games. Koss and Cam Cannon connected on two hits each. Cannon extended his hitting streak to eight games.

Jake Wallace got the win, and a blown save, after hurling 1.0 inning, surrendering three runs. Yorvin Pantoja earned the save after a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout. Brandon Walter made his first start in a Drive uniform and hurled 3.2 innings, surrendering two runs on three hits, one homer and one walk. He fanned six.

Logan Gillaspie was charged with the loss after relenting the two runs in the eighth inning.

The Drive quickly took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Christian Koss led things off with a walk and got to second on a Cannon single. After an out advanced the runners a base, Reed connected on an RBI single to center field.

The lead, however, did not last as Gunnar Henderson stroked a two-run homer to take a 2-1 advantage.

Greenville retook the lead, 3-2, in the bottom of the fifth inning. Cannon led off the frame with a single, his second of the game. The next two batters were retired, which brought up Howlett, who skied a ball to deep left field that landed in the Green Monster seats for a two-run shot, his ninth of the year.

They added to their lead the following frame to take a 4-2 advantage. Kole Cottam singled to begin the frame and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Wil Dalton. He then advanced to third on a stolen base. Dom D'Alessandro hit a rocket to right, 107 MPH off the bat, for a sac fly.

Aberdeen then scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 5-4 lead on an error and two-run single by Maverick Handley.

The back-and-forth tilt continued in the bottom of eighth when the Drive scored two runs for the win.

Game two is scheduled for 7:05 Wednesday at Fluor Field. The Drive are set to throw Jay Groome while the Ironbirds are slated to start Drew Rom.

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South Atlantic League Stories from July 6, 2021


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