Netzer fuels Drive to South Atlantic League title

September 16th, 2017

Brett Netzer delivered a two-out, bases-clearing double as Class A Greenville scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat Kannapolis, 8-3, and secure the Drive's first South Atlantic League title.
Netzer, Boston's No. 30 prospect, went 2-for-3 in the contest to finish the postseason with a .429 average, 12 hits and eight RBIs, all tops among all South Atlantic League hitters.
He tallied the first hit and scored the first run for Greenville in the victory, hitting a one-out single to right field before coming around to score on Bobby Dalbec's double. The Drive would ultimately tack on two more runs in the frame, with Dalbec and Roldani Baldwin both scoring with two outs on an infield error.

Kannapolis trimmed its deficit on Alex Call's solo home run in the top of the third inning, and he tied the game with an RBI single in the subsequent frame after White Sox No. 23 prospect Evan Skoug connected on a solo homer.
Call, the White Sox No. 25 prospect, finished the game 3-for-4 with two RBIs out of the leadoff spot, also reaching once via a walk. He batted .389 with four extra-base hits in the postseason.
The score remained deadlocked at 3-3 until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Greenville opened the frame with three consecutive singles before pushing across runs on a fielder's choice and a Jagger Rusconi single.
That set the stage for Netzer, and the 21-year-old second baseman promptly blew the game open as he cleared the bases with a double to center field.
Box score
Dalbec also collected multiple hits for Greenville, going 2-for-4 with a team-high two runs scored. Like Netzer, the Red Sox's No. 11 prospect had a strong postseason, hitting .296 with three doubles.
Greenville starter Hildemaro Requena received a no-decision after he allowed two earned runs on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings. The Red Sox's No. 29 prospect issued two walks and struck out three in the outing, throwing 50 of his 78 pitches for strikes. The 20-year-old righty had not permitted an earned run in five straight starts before Friday.