SAL Asheville Tourists

Tourists Lose Close One After Greensboro Walk-Off Homer

Published on July 6, 2021 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Asheville Tourists News Release


Greensboro - The Asheville Tourists kicked off their series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers in a back-and-forth game where they fell just short 7-5. The Grasshoppers Centerfielder Matthew Frazier sealed the game in the bottom of the ninth with a Home Run out to Right Field.

After a 1-2-3 start to the game on offense, the Tourists found themselves in a hole in the bottom of the first after a Solo Shot by Nick Gonzales off of the Tourists' starting Right-Hander, R.J. Freure.

Asheville was not willing to give up in the top of the second after back-to-back walks by Enmanuel Valdez and C.J. Stubbs. Pulling through was the Second Baseman Freudis Nova after he hit a key liner to left where he advanced to second on the throw to home. The close play at the plate resulted in a great slide by Valdez to tie the game up at 1 apiece. With both runners in scoring position, Deury Carrasco grounded out to bring another run home to give Asheville the lead 2-1. Unfortunately, that was all Asheville would score that inning after Nova was called out at the plate on a groundball to short, and a pop fly to the third baseman that brought the inning to a close.

A leadoff Home Run in the second, leadoff triple in the third, followed by a wild pitch to score the run, brought Greensboro back out in front 3-2. Freure finished the second by striking out the side after the equalizing Homer and continued to throw two more scoreless innings after the third where he recorded a total of 8 strikeouts on the night before he was relieved in the sixth by Mark Moclair.

The top of the seventh saw a lot of action for the offense as Carrasco belted a two-out double to right followed by a single to left by Shay Whitcomb. Zach Biermann then kept the hits rolling as he lined one into center bringing the runners to first and second. With the fourth consecutive hit, the leadoff man Wilyer Abreu launched a long single of the right field wall to bring the Tourists in front 4-3.

After a leadoff walk by Moclair in the seventh, the Grasshoppers Matthew Frazier hit a 2-run Homer to put Greensboro back on top 5-4 after the continuous back-and-forth with the Tourists.

In the top of the ninth down one, the Tourists had back-to-back strikeouts to start the inning. Zach Biermann stepped in the box and kept the game alive for Asheville as he hit an equalizing blast to tie the game 5-5. Chandler Casey relieved Moclair in the ninth where he forfeited a leadoff walk and Home Run that sealed the Tourists' fate as they fell 7-5 in a tight battle to the end.

The Tourists continue their road series in an early one against the Greensboro Grasshoppers with first pitch slated to be at 12:00pm on Wednesday.

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South Atlantic League Stories from July 6, 2021


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