Ninth-Inning Rally Brings 'Burgers Back to Even in Series
SAL Hub City Spartanburgers

Ninth-Inning Rally Brings 'Burgers Back to Even in Series

Published on August 15, 2025 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Hub City Spartanburgers News Release


BROOKLYN, N.Y. - In a game that featured four different lead changes, the final twist of momentum swung in the Spartanburgers favor. Hub City (24-22, 55-56) used a three-run ninth inning to take down Brooklyn (18-28, 64-52) 6-4 on Friday night.

Victor Simeon headlined the day for Hub City on the mound with six strikeouts and 2 2/3 perfect innings. Dylan Dreiling, Rafe Perich, and Anthony Gutierrez all tallied multiple hits. Dreiling smashed a home run to start the night's scoring and Perich chopped a lead-taking single in the ninth.

Dreiling's home run came just eight pitches into the game. Hub City's leadoff batter took Brooklyn starter Dakota Hawkins deep after a long battle. Hawkins settled in, retiring eight straight batters at one point. His day ended on a Gutierrez double with two outs in the third. Gregori Louis entered and loaded the bases before escaping the jam.

Hub City starter D.J. McCarty started off strong. The righty faced just one baserunner in the first two innings. The Cyclones made McCarty work in the third when the first two batters reached. With one out, Boston Baro dribbled an infield single, and a McCarty throwing error brought home a run. A walk and a hit batter later, McCarty was taken out of the game with Brooklyn in front 2-1. Simeon entered and forced a strikeout and groundout to leave the bases loaded.

Louis and Simeon tossed one-two-three frames in the fourth; Simeon struck out the side. Eli Ankeney became the third Brooklyn pitcher of the day when he took over to start the fifth. Ankeney recorded five straight outs before Gleider Figuereo singled in the sixth. Cristofer Gomez came in to get the final out. Simeon got Hub City through the fifth, and Mailon Felix worked around a leadoff double for a scoreless sixth.

Yeison Morrobel reached on a walk to start the seventh. With one out, Ben Hartl singled and moved to second on an overthrow. Dreiling lofted a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and Hub City took the lead when Gutierrez reached on a throwing error from the shortstop Baro that brought Hartl home.

Brooklyn returned fire in the bottom of the seventh against Anthony Susac (W, 3-4). With one down, Nick Roselli and Marco Vargas singled. Baro drove in Roselli with a base hit, and Vargas scored on a groundout. The Cyclones took a 4-3 lead to the eighth.

Hub City could not capitalize on a leadoff double from Perich, stranding two in scoring position. Susac responded for a clean bottom of the eighth. Chasing a run in the ninth, Hub City loaded the bases against Juan Arnaud (L, 0-1). Dreiling and Gutierrez singled, and Malcolm Moore was hit by a pitch. Perich chopped a single past first to score two. After a Figuereo walk, Casey Cook also got hit by a pitch to score another run. Adrian Rodriguez (S, 1) protected the 6-4 lead in the bottom of the ninth, only allowing a walk.

Saturday's winner claims at least a share of the series. With first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET, Hub City righty Brooks Fowler (0-0, 3.60 ERA) faces Brooklyn righty Joel Diaz (4-3, 3.90 ERA).

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South Atlantic League Stories from August 15, 2025


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