The Greenville Drive broke the three-game losing streak with a big 13-6 win over Hub City in game two of six. The Drive improves to 37-52, while Hub City falls to 42-50. In the second-half standings, Greenville is now 11-15, and the Spartanburgers are 8-18.
Alex Bouchard made his first start in 19 days, pitching around a leadoff single by Casey Cook to put up a zero in the first. The Drive loaded the bases in the bottom half, bringing up Ronny Hernandez, who took advantage with a two-RBI single, putting Greenville up early.
Luke Heyman and Gerardo Rodriguez added in the second with back-to-back singles to make it 5-0. Heyman drove in two runners with the bases loaded, and Rodriguez followed with a single to end the inning.
The Drive’s offense continued to explode in game two, scoring nine runs in the first three innings. Enddy Azocar blew it open with his eighth grand slam, sent all the way to fans in the Green Monster.
Bouchard ended his outing after three innings, allowing no runs on two hits, and striking out three. Joe Vogatsky came in to pitch the fourth.
Despite the large lead, Hub City began to battle back in that same inning. A fielder’s choice and a couple of errors by the Drive’s defense allowed three Spartanburgers to score, making it 9-3. Another three-spot in the fifth crept Hub City even closer on a sac fly and an Antonis Macias two-run homer, 9-6.
Yoeilin Cespedes resparked Greenville’s bats with a solo shot in the sixth to reach double digits, 10-6. Cespedes’ couple of hits in tonight’s game marked his first since the start of this nine-game homestand, breaking a 0-for-17 slump over his last four games.
Justin Gonzales joined the home run party with a three-run long ball in the next inning, extending the Drive’s lead to 13-6.
Calvin Bickerstaff earned and secured tonight’s win, coming in for Vogatsky at the end of the fifth, throwing 4.1 scoreless innings. His sixth win of the season featured four strikeouts and just one hit allowed.
The Drive scored their 13 runs on 16 hits. Azocar led the team in RBIs thanks to his grand slam, while Gonzales drove in three, going 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, a walk, and three runs scored. Heyman and Ronny each chipped in with two RBIs in matching 2-for-5 nights.
The Spartanburgers had seven hits at the plate to score those six runs. Macias led the way for Hub City, going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs scored. They went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving five on base. Starter AJ Russell took the loss, pitching just one inning and allowing two runs across the board after facing seven batters.
The Greenville Drive looks to carry tonight’s momentum into game three tomorrow against Hub City with first pitch at 6:45 pm. It’s Star Wars Night at the ballpark. The Drive players will wear R2-D2 jerseys in celebration of the famous franchise.