SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Greensboro and Hub City played another high-scoring affair Saturday. The Grasshoppers (15-8, 56-33) reached double-digit runs for the second straight contest and beat the Spartanburgers (6-17, 40-49) 10-7.
Grasshoppers leadoff man Sammy Stafura ignited the visitors’ offense right away, smacking a home run off Caden Scarborough (L, 0-3) to begin the game. After a pair of strikeouts, Greensboro plated another run. Easton Carmichael doubled, and Jared Jones singled him home.
Hub City managed a hit and a walk against Seth Hernandez in the bottom of the first but left both Hector Osorio and Gleider Figuereo stranded.
After Scarborough tossed a three-batter second, Antonis Macias led off the second with a single. Hernandez recorded three straight outs to finish off two scoreless innings. Both teams went to the bullpen in the third. AJ Russell entered for Hub City. Stafura led off with a single and stole second. He scored on an RBI single from Yordany De Los Santos.
Treyson Peters (W, 5-0) came in to pitch for Greensboro in the third. The righty allowed just one hit through his first two innings. He exited with two on and two outs in the fifth, and Victor Cabreja got the last out without allowing a run to score.
Brock Porter started his day on the mound to begin the fourth. Hub City’s third pitcher of the game used a pair of strikeouts to work a scoreless first inning. After Carlos Caro reached on a fielding error to begin the fifth, Edward Florentino drilled a two-run home run to put the Grasshoppers up 5-0. With one out, De Los Santos doubled and stole third. He scored a sixth run on a sacrifice fly from Carmichael.
Luke Savage gave up a pair of hits in the sixth but stranded two Grasshoppers in scoring position. Hub City got on the board for the first time in the bottom half against Cabreja. Figuereo led off the inning with a double, and Luke Hanson singled him in. With two outs, Carter Garate singled in Hanson. Arturo De Freitas doubled off the wall in left to bring in a third run. Savage set down Greensboro in order in the top of the seventh.
The Grasshoppers turned to Draven Zeigler in the seventh. He worked around a two-out single to pitch a scoreless frame. Kai Wynyard took over for Savage in the eighth. With one out, Jhonny Severino blasted his league-leading 23rd home run. With two on and two out, Stafura left the yard again to make it 10-3 Greensboro.
After Macias led off the bottom of the eight with a walk, De Freitas belted his first home run in a Hub City uniform to reduce the ‘Hoppers’ lead to five. In the ninth, the ‘Burgers made a final push. Owen Proksch posted a zero in the top half of the inning. Maxton Martin was hit by a pitch to start the bottom half. Two batters later, Figuereo launched his 14th home run, cutting the Greensboro lead to three. Hanson singled but was left on first as the final out was recorded.
The final game of the series begins at 4:35 p.m. ET Sunday. Hung-Leng Cheng (4-3, 8.30 ERA) and Kamdyn Perry (0-2, 10.03 ERA) are the slated starters.
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.