Asheville Gives Up Early Long Balls in Rain-Delayed Loss
A rain delay couldn't stop the Drive from making a statement. After a 76-minute wait pushed first pitch to 8:01, Greenville (17-27) wasted no time, putting up four home runs and handing the Tourists (9-36) a 10-2 loss Tuesday night. Drive second baseman Yoeilin Cespedes got it started in the
A rain delay couldn't stop the Drive from making a statement. After a 76-minute wait pushed first pitch to 8:01, Greenville (17-27) wasted no time, putting up four home runs and handing the Tourists (9-36) a 10-2 loss Tuesday night.
Drive second baseman Yoeilin Cespedes got it started in the first. With two outs and a runner on, he crushed his 10th home run of the season off Asheville starter Anthony Cruz. Greenville DH Luke Heyman followed with a leadoff solo shot in the second, then went deep again in the third with a two-run blast that pushed the Greenville lead to 5-1.
The tall left field wall at Fluor Field in Greenville is modeled to look like the Green Monster at Fenway Park, home to the Drive’s Major League affiliate. That wall didn’t seem to matter. All five home runs hit in the game cleared the Green Monster, including Asheville’s only long ball from Caden Powell in the top of the second inning.
The home run from Powell was one of few offensive flashes for the Tourists. It came after Greenville starter Tyler Uberstine struck out the first four batters he faced. Overall, the Tourists struck out 17 times as a team.
As for Cruz, he battled through four innings before exiting. The right-hander finished with six earned runs and three home runs surrendered on the night.
The Tourists had a golden opportunity to get back in it in the third. Dylan Brown entered in relief of Danny Kirwin with Greenville leading 3-1, and Asheville loaded the bases with two outs on three straight walks. DH Chase Call stepped to the plate with a chance to bring the Tourists within one. Brown got the better of him on a swinging strikeout to end the rally.
Brown was dominant after escaping the third-inning jam, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings and punching out nine to earn his first win of the season.
Drive shortstop Henry Godbout added a solo shot in the fifth to push the lead to 7-2, and Greenville continued to pour it on late. A Godbout sacrifice fly in the sixth and a Cespedes RBI single capped the scoring at 10-2.
The Tourists fall to 9-36. They have another chance Wednesday afternoon against the Drive. First pitch from Greenville is set for 2:05 p.m.