Drive Come Back to Defeat RiverDogs, 7-5

Asuaje's 8th-inning 2-run homer is the difference

By Cameron White

May 28, 2014

Charleston, SC - The old motto "It's not how you start, it's how you finish" applied directly to the Greenville Drive (26-25) on Wednesday night, as they came back from a 5-2 deficit to defeat the Charleston RiverDogs (27-25) 7-5.

The Drive's comeback began with three runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game. A two-out walk by Forrestt Allday started the big inning against Charleston's Jordan Cote, and he advanced to third on a double by Tzu-Wei Lin. Jantzen Witte followed with a two-run single to right to cut the lead to one, and after Carlos Asuaje's single moved Witte to third, Wendell Rijo laced a single of his own to knot the game at 5.

Asuaje delivered the winning blow for the Drive in the eighth, as after a walk to Witte, he crushed a Chris Smith (1-1) offering over the right-field wall for his fourth homer of the season.

Jonathan Aro (1-0) earned the victory with a dominant outing of relief, allowing only one walk in four hitless innings with three strikeouts to lower his ERA to 1.13.

Witte put the Drive on top 1-0 in the top of the first with a solo shot to left against Brady Lail, giving him a team-leading five homers on the year. The lead was pushed to 2-0 after Manuel Margot singled to lead off the fourth and later scored on a wild pitch.

Charleston finally got to Drive starter Joe Gunkel in the bottom of the fourth with five runs. Aaron Judge grounded an RBI single with one out to score Dustin Fowler, who doubled to begin the frame. After Gunkel hit a batter and walked another, Eduardo de Oleo cranked a grand slam to give the RiverDogs the 5-2 lead.

Rijo led a 14-hit attack for the Drive with three hits. Witte went 2-4 with three runs and three RBI, and Asuaje went 2-5 while playing the role of hero. Allday and Jake Romanski chipped in with two hits as well.

The Drive return home for a seven-game homestand beginning on Thursday. First pitch for the opening game against the Hickory Crawdads, affiliate of the Texas Rangers, is set for 7:05 PM. LH Trey Ball (1-4, 8.38) gets the start for the Drive, while the Crawdads will send LH Chad Bell (1-0, 1.13) to the mound.