Pitching Duel Dooms Drive in 1-0 Loss to Dash in Series Opener
Published on September 3, 2025 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - One swing was the difference Tuesday night as the Greenville Drive (63-64) dropped the opener of their final road series of the regular season, falling 1-0 to the Winston-Salem Dash (54-71) at Truist Stadium. Despite the loss, Greenville remained two games behind first-place Hub City in the South Division second-half race thanks to a Spartanburger setback, leaving five games for the Drive to make their push for the crown.
The decisive blow came in the first inning when Winston-Salem's Jeral Perez worked a full count against Drive starter Brady Tygart and belted his 21st home run of the year, a solo shot to left that gave the Dash all the offense they would need.
From there, both pitching staffs stole the spotlight. Tygart (0-1) settled down beautifully after the homer, striking out five and allowing just two hits across four strong innings. Luis Cohen followed with four innings of steady relief, yielding only two hits while fanning one. Together, the Drive pitchers limited Winston-Salem to four hits and one walk over eight innings.
The Dash arms were equally sharp. Starter Gage Ziehl (3-2) tossed five scoreless innings, scattering one hit with four strikeouts. He and relievers Morris Austin, Carson Jacobs, and Phil Fox combined to hold Greenville to just three hits on the night, stranding six baserunners. Fox worked the final two innings, striking out three for his 11th save.
Greenville's best chances came late. In the sixth, Justin Riemer drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but was stranded at third. An inning later, Johanfran Garcia reached on a walk and Yophery Rodriguez singled with two outs, only for the threat to fizzle with a strikeout. In the eighth, Henry Godbout doubled with one out-the Drive's lone extra-base hit-but Fox retired the next two batters to preserve the lead.
Rodriguez paced Greenville's offense with two of the team's three hits, while Godbout added the double and a walk. Still, the Drive finished 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, leaving key opportunities unanswered.
For Winston-Salem, catcher Jackson Appel chipped in two hits to support Perez's homer.
The loss dropped Greenville back below .500 overall and underscored the razor-thin margin for error in the final week of the season. With five games remaining, the Drive remain within striking distance of Hub City, but will need both wins and help elsewhere to secure the second-half title and a postseason berth.
Game two of the series is set for Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, as the Drive look to bounce back and keep their playoff hopes alive.
South Atlantic League Stories from September 3, 2025
- Late Bomb Forces Extras, Asheville Falls - Asheville Tourists
- Walk-Off Wild Pitch Helps 'Claws over 'Clones, 5-4 - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Simeon's Six-Out Save Helps Hub City Survive Rome - Hub City Spartanburgers
- Nori Scores on Wild Pitch, Claws Walk off 5-4 in 10 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Travis Sthele Outshines Aberdeen in 2-1 Victory for Wilmington - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Slow Bats Push Renegades to the Edge - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Dash Held Scoreless in Game 2 - Winston-Salem Dash
- Renegades Game Notes - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Pitching Duel Dooms Drive in 1-0 Loss to Dash in Series Opener - Greenville Drive
- Flewelling's Two-Run Triple Lifts Bowling Green to 2-1 Victory - Bowling Green Hot Rods
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.
