SAL1 Asheville Tourists

Tourists dropped by Greeneville

Published on August 27, 2008 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Asheville Tourists News Release


ASHEVILLE - The Greenville Drive took game one of a three-game series on a rainy, sloppy night at McCormick Field by a 9-4 score, thanks in large part to six big third inning runs.

Nine hitters came to the plate in the frame for Greenville with RBI doubles coming from Oscar Tejeda and David Marks, and RBI single coming off the bat of Zachary Penprase and the big blast coming on a two-run home run by Michael Almanzar - his first of the season. The Drive were also aided by three Christian Friedrich wild pitches, with one allowing a runner to reach first on a dropped third strike. The six spot in the third spelled the end of the night for Friedrich (0-1), the 1st round selections of the Rockies in June. In his Asheville debut, Friedrich's three innings saw him give up six runs on six hits with a walk, but his five strikeouts were a bright spot. The Tourists had a couple opportunities to score but many of those either fell by the wayside or were not maximized to their fullest. Asheville left a pair on in the fourth, but scored one the next inning on Kevin Clark's RBI single. Clark would later be thrown out trying to steal second and that inning ended just as quickly as the rally began.

The Drive added insurance in the seventh on a David Marks RBI double to bring home a pair off Craig Rodriguez. Marks would later score on a passed ball to make it a 9-1 game. Asheville's bullpen kept the Drive off the scoreboard for much of the night, but looked shaky still. Joey Williamson allowed three walks and threw a lot of pitches in two scoreless innings while Rodriguez ran into a jam in the seventh.

Asheville tried to rally late, after league MVP Darin Holcomb led off the seventh with a single and Bo Bowman followed with a double. Helder Velazquez grounded out to score Holcomb, but the Tourists could push no further runs across the plate. The biggest chance the Tourists would have late came in the eighth when Everth Cabrera doubled with one out. Michael Mitchell reached on an error and Jeffrey Cunningham would single to load the bases. Holcomb followed with a double to bring a pair home but Greenville reliever Lance McClain would come on to strike Bowman out and get Velazquez to foul out to the catcher to end the threat. The Tourists went down quietly in the ninth.

Lefty Jose Alvarez (8-8) picked up his second win of the year against the Tourists in a six-inning effort. He allowed just one run on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts on his ledger. Connor Graham (11-6, 2.29) will face Jose Capellan (3-5, 3.86) in the middle game of the series on the season's final Thirsty Thursday at McCormick Field. Dollar domestic drafts and soft drinks will be available all night long, presented all season long by Wild Wing Café, Star 104.3 and Rock 104.9. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. and the game can also be heard on the Tourists flagship station WRES-FM, 100.7.

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South Atlantic League Stories from August 27, 2008


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