GREENVILLE, S.C. — After winning seven of the first 12 matchups with Greenville to start the season, the Spartanburgers traveled to Fluor Field to begin a six-game series on Tuesday night. Clinging tight to a 2-1 lead for most of the night, Hub City (8-17, 42-49) found a late flurry to take down Greenville (10-15, 36-52) 5-1.
Despite giving up two hits apiece, starting pitchers Kyson Witherspoon (L, 2-5) and Ismael Agreda traded scoreless first innings. Greenville struck in the bottom of the second. Isaiah Jackson led off with a double, then Antonio Anderson poked a two-out, two-strike single up the middle to give the Drive a 1-0 lead.
Hub City responded in the next half-inning. Chandler Pollard kicked off the rally with a single and promptly stole second. Casey Cook and Gleider Figuereo walked to load the bases. Luke Hanson got the ‘Burgers on even footing with a rope to left field, which scored Pollard. Cook scrambled home shortly after on a wild pitch.
Both offenses went quiet afterwards. Neither Witherspoon nor Agreda allowed a hit after the top of the third. Agreda cruised through his final 2 1/3 innings and exited the contest with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Luke Savage entered and finished the inning. Savage (W, 3-3) retired seven straight hitters, including a strikeout of the side in the bottom of the seventh.
Witherspoon exited an out into the fifth. After 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings from Greenville reliever Adam Bates, the Spartanburgers cracked the code. Hanson singled to start the top of the eighth, then Antonis Macias blasted a center-cut fastball off the Fluor Field scoreboard in right-center field. Macias’s fourth longball of the season boosted Hub City’s lead to 4-1. Marcos Torres followed with his first High-A hit, a triple off the padding of the center-field wall. Two batters later, Arturo De Freitas hit a ground ball to shortstop; Torres scrambled home and scored with the benefit of an offline throw.
Owen Proksch entered to pitch the eighth for the Spartanburgers. Three singles from the Drive loaded the bases with two outs for the Drive. Proksch and Isaiah Jackson battled to a full count before the ‘Burgers lefty reliever won the battle with a strikeout to end the threat.
Hub City got two runners into scoring position in the ninth against Steven Brooks but did not score. Proksch returned for the bottom of the ninth. A strikeout and a flyout sandwiched a single. With two down, Proksch hit Enddy Azocar and was lifted from the game. Kai Wynyard (S, 2) came in to pitch to Justin Gonzales and recorded a groundout to third to finish the game.
Hub City and Greenville battle again on Wednesday night at 6:45 p.m. ET. The Spartanburgers send righty AJ Russell (1-1, 2.92 ERA) to the mound against Greenville right-hander Alex Bouchard (1-3, 5.60 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.