GREENSBORO, N.C. — The offense stole the show on Tuesday night in the series opener for the Spartanburgers (24-21) and Grasshoppers (29-17). The two teams combined for 13 home runs, one coming from Yeison Morrobel en route to becoming the first player in Spartanburgers history to hit for the cycle. It still was not enough for Hub City in a 19-13 loss to begin the week in Greensboro.
After a 30-minute rain delay to begin the game, the Spartanburgers handed Grasshoppers starter Kyle Robinson a rude greeting in his Greensboro debut. Morrobel homered on the first pitch of the ballgame. Two pitches later, Rafe Perich made it back-to-back homers with his first of two long balls on the night. Robinson rallied back to set down the next three batters.
Meanwhile, Hub City starter Enrique Segura failed to get out of the first inning. Two hit batters and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Two more walks brought in the first two runs for Greensboro to tie the game. With two outs, Jhonny Severino hit a grand slam to end Segura’s night. Anthony Susac took over for the final out of the first and two scoreless innings to follow.
Hub City chipped away with a Quincy Scott homer in the second inning. Gleider Figuereo launched a solo blast in the fourth to make it a 6-4 game. Kai Wynyard took over on the mound for the ‘Burgers in the fourth. He immediately surrendered back-to-back homers to Wyatt Sanford and Yordany De Los Santos.
Hub City scored a fifth run on Robinson and chased him from the game in the top of the fifth. Perich smacked a double, and Malcolm Moore drove him in. Jose Garces recorded the last two outs of the inning.
After Wynyard calmed down and pitched through the fifth, the Spartanburgers attacked new reliever Carlos Castillo to start the sixth. With two on and one out, Morrobel cleared the bases with a double. Perich immediately brought Morrobel around on a game-tying single and fielding error.
Josh Sanders (L, 0-1) entered to pitch the bottom of the sixth. Sanford took him deep too, on his second homer of the night to lead off the inning. Two batters later, Murf Gray doubled Greensboro’s lead with a solo bomb.
Against new pitcher Treyson Peters (W, 3-0) in the seventh, Hub City tied the game again. Luke Hanson left the yard for a two-run homer with two outs. Morrobel followed it up with a triple but was left stranded. Two outs into the bottom of the seventh, Brian Sanchez doubled, and Sanford clubbed his third home run on the night, all in consecutive at bats.
After a one-two-three top of the eighth, the Grasshoppers loaded the bases with no outs against Sanders in the bottom half. Luke Savage took over and Easton Carmichael took the second pitch he saw for a grand slam. The Grasshoppers would tack on three more to Savage’s line after that, forcing infielder Theo Hardy to come on and pitch the final out of the inning.
With a 19-10 lead, new Grasshoppers reliever Draven Zeigler set down the first two batters to start the ninth. Hanson extended the game with a single, giving Morrobel a swing at the cycle. The lefty pulled a base hit to right to etch his name into the Spartanburgers record books. Perich followed it up with a three-run homer, his second blast of the night. Two batters later, Zeigler closed the game with a strikeout.
Hub City and Greensboro get right back to it with a 12:00 p.m. ET first pitch in game two on Wednesday. Spartanburgers right-hander J’Briell Easley (0-0, 4.34 ERA) faces off with fellow righty Cameron Keshock (2-2, 4.14 ERA).
About the Hub City Spartanburgers
The Hub City Spartanburgers are the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the reigning South Atlantic League South Division Champions. For more information on the Spartanburgers, visit milb.com/hub-city. For information about tickets to any of Hub City’s 66 home games, call 864-594-0701 or email: tickets@hcspartanburgers.com. For media inquiries, email: iunsworth@hcspartanburgers.com. Follow along with the Spartanburgers on social media.
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