Ninth Inning Dooms Drive in 7-3 Loss
April 23, 2016 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release
Greenville, SC - It was déjà vu all over again at Fluor Field on Saturday night, as the Greenville Drive were done in by a big ninth inning for the Columbia Fireflies in a 7-3 loss in front of 5,799 fans at Fluor Field.
Trailing 3-2 in the final frame, the Fireflies (10-7) erupted for five runs against Kuehl McEachern (1-1). A hit by pitch and a single put two runners on, and Vinny Siena singled to right field with one out to tie the game up.
McEachern got a strikeout to move one out away from escaping, but Tucker Tharp followed with the go-ahead single, and Jeff Diehl then cranked a three-run homer over the Green Monster for good measure.
The rally made a winner out of Seth Davis (1-0), who held the Drive (9-8) hitless over the final two and one-third innings.
A two-run bottom of the first gave the Drive an early start against Fireflies starter Tyler Badamo. Joseph Monge began the inning with a double to left-center and came home two batters later when Michael Chavis grounded a double to left. During Josh Ockimey's at-bat, Chavis showed heads up baserunning by scoring all the way from second on a wild pitch.
Columbia struck for a run against Anderson Espinoza in the fourth and chased the young right-hander from the game after throwing 74 pitches. Diehl drew a walk to begin the inning, moved to second on a wild pitch and came in on a double by Vicente Lupo.
A sixth-inning double by Luis Alexander Basabe plated Kyri Washington to push the Drive's lead to 3-1, but Columbia got that run back in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Siena.
Washington extended his hitting streak to seven games with a fourth-inning double. Siena continued to be a thorn in the side of Greenville pitching, going 2-4 with a pair of RBI.
The Drive will send left-hander Logan Boyd (2-1, 3.86) to the mound on Sunday at Fluor Field as they look to avoid being swept in the four-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PM, and the Fireflies will start right-hander Joe Shaw (2-0, 1.50).
South Atlantic League Stories from April 23, 2016
- Bray Slams the Door on Kannapolis Comeback Effort - Delmarva Shorebirds
- RiverDogs Walk Off, 5-4, to Complete Doubleheader Sweep of Augusta - Charleston RiverDogs
- Five-Run Ninth Propels Columbia to Third Straight Come-From-Behind Win - Columbia Fireflies
- Matt Page Wins Game Two Nights in a Row - Hagerstown Suns
- Ninth Inning Dooms Drive in 7-3 Loss - Greenville Drive
- Homers Power West Virginia Past Legends, 5-1 - Lexington Legends
- Naylor, Hoppers Top Claws 6-1 on Saturday - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- 'Dads Walked-Off Again in 7-6 Defeat - Hickory Crawdads
- Rome Falls to Asheville 2-1 - Rome Emperors
- Power win over Legends - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Tourists Win Pitchers Duel against Braves - Asheville Tourists
- Fireflies Game Notes: April 23 at Greenville (Game 17) - Columbia Fireflies
- Delmarva Shorebirds Game Notes for April 23, 2016 - Delmarva Shorebirds
- WV Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
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.
