Offense Ignites for Blowout Hub City Win
Published on August 29, 2025 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Hub City Spartanburgers News Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Hub City's offense struck early and often on Friday night against Asheville. The Spartanburgers (31-27, 62-61) had a 2-0 lead before the Tourists (21-34, 50-70) even got to the plate. Hub City piled on throughout the night to win 8-0 and take a 3-1 series lead.
The Spartanburgers racked up 15 hits, a new franchise record; eight of those were doubles. Malcolm Moore, John Taylor and Ben Hartl led the way with three hits apiece. Rafe Perich and Dylan Dreiling both drove in multiple runs. The Spartanburgers were 7-for-20 with runners in scoring position.
Paxton Kling sparked the offense for Hub City with a one-out double against Derek True (L, 2-8) in the first. Malcolm Moore drove in Kling, and John Taylor doubled in Moore.
Dalton Pence started his night on the mound for Hub City with a scoreless first three frames. After True held Hub City off the board in the second and third, Taylor led off the fourth with another double. Perich singled in the third Hub City run of the night. Base hits from Hartl and Dreiling brought in Perich to make it 4-0 Hub City.
The first two batters reached in the fourth for Asheville. With runners at the corners, Pence escaped the jam thanks to a pair of strikeouts and a caught stealing.
The Spartanburgers added on against Alain Pena in the top of the fifth. Moore started the frame with a double and came around to score on a wild pitch. Singles from Taylor and Hartl helped bring in a second run in the inning before Hub City left the bases loaded.
Mailon Felix (W, 3-3) took over on the mound in the fifth. Felix set down each of the first eight batters he faced. After a hit batter and a walk with two outs in the seventh, Felix finished his night with a flyout. Three scoreless innings marked a new career high for the righty reliever.
The final blow of the night for the 'Burgers offense came in the top of the seventh against Dawil Amonte. Maxton Martin flicked an opposite-field double to left and Perich promptly singled him in. Hub City's eighth run of the evening came on a Dreiling sacrifice fly. Kai Wynyard cleaned up the final two innings to ensure an easy win.
With eight games to go in the regular season, the 'Burgers have a two-game lead over the Greenville Drive and a 3-and-a-half game lead over the Winston-Salem Dash for the South Division's second-half playoff spot. Hub City matches up with Asheville Saturday at 6:05 p.m. ET. Right-handers D.J. McCarty (2-5, 4.97 ERA) and Yeriel Santos (1-11, 7.80 ERA) are the scheduled starters.
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