Eight Straight: Tourists Hold Off Hub City 4-3 in Front of Sellout Crowd

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — When Justin Thomas Jr. crashed into the left field netting and squeezed the final out of Friday night's game, he didn't need to check the scoreboard. He already knew what it meant.

"Eight straight," he yelled.

For the first time since 2017, the Asheville Tourists have won eight consecutive games. A sellout crowd of 4,001 at HomeTrust Park was there to see it, and they gave the Tourists everything they had in a 4-3 win over the Hub City Spartanburgers that came down to the final pitch.

Parker Smith and Caden Scarborough, the 68th-ranked prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, put on a pitcher's duel for the first four innings. Smith was steady throughout, going 5.2 innings and allowing just two runs. Scarborough matched him, holding Asheville to two hits over 4.1 innings before being pulled after just 61 pitches. His early exit may have been precautionary ahead of his participation in MLB's Futures Game on All-Star Weekend July 12th in Philadelphia.

Hub City struck first. Hector Osorio grounded into a fielder's choice to score a run in the first, then turned on a Parker Smith breaking ball in the third and destroyed it to right for a solo shot. 2-1 Spartanburgers.

Asheville answered both times. Jack Moss singled to score Justin Thomas Jr. in the first to tie it, extending his hit streak to 12 consecutive games. Then Caden Powell singled to center with Freuddy Batista on second, and the big man turned on the jets and scored as the throw home sailed high. 2-2.

The fifth inning was where Asheville took control. Joe Adametz replaced Scarborough and walked Batista on four pitches, then hit Thomas Jr. Powell followed with a double down the left field line to score Batista and give Asheville a 3-2 lead. Moss capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to center to score Thomas Jr. 4-2.

Connor Steinbaugh relieved Smith and handled 1.1 clean innings. Jackson Wells retired the side in order in the eighth. Adametz, meanwhile, had caught fire after the fifth inning trouble, striking out five straight to keep Asheville at bay.

Then came the ninth.

Francisco Frias entered looking for his second save of the series. He struck out Antonis Macias, walked Theo Hardy on four pitches, then struck out Esteban Mejia to bring the crowd to its feet. One out away. Cal Stark stepped in, a below .100 hitter who was 0-for-14 in the series with eight strikeouts. Frias got him to his final strike. Stark singled up the middle to score Hardy. 4-3. The crowd held its breath.

Yeison Morrobel was next. He had gone 9-for-18 in the series and represented the go-ahead run. He lofted a ball down the left field line. Thomas Jr. sprinted, crashed into the netting, and made the catch. HomeTrust Park erupted.

Eight straight.

Moss went 2-for-4 to extend his hit streak to twelve games. Powell also went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Asheville managed just five hits on the night, but it was enough.

The Tourists improve to 9-4 in the second half and maintain first place in the South Atlantic League Southern Division. Tomorrow night is a Fourth of July sellout at HomeTrust Park. Nolan Devos takes the ball for Asheville against Hub City's AJ Russell. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.