Asheville Wraps Up Regular Season Home Finale with a Win

Asheville, NC-- The Asheville Tourists won their final regular season home game of the 2014 season on Thursday night 4-3 over the Hagerstown Suns. The Tourists still have at least one more home playoff game scheduled for Wednesday, September 3. Despite the Suns defeat, Hagerstown still clinched a playoff spot due to Hickory's loss at Lakewood.

The visitors jumped in front 2-0 with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Jimmy Yezzo reached on an error that brought home both Rafael Bautista and Wilmer Difo. The Tourists responded in the bottom half.

Raimel Tapia led off with a double and took third on Zach Osborne's sacrifice bunt. Ryan McMahon drove in Tapia with an infield single to put the Tourists on the board. Later in the frame, Ashley Graeter sinlged up the middle to move McMahon to second and Dillon Thomas followed with an RBI single.

The score remained tied 2-2 until the Suns manufactured a run in the fifth. Wilman Rodriguez doubled to lead off the inning and then stole third. Brennan Middleton hit a fly ball to left that was deep enough to allow Rodriguez to tag up and score.

Asheville knotted the game 3-3 with an unearned run in the seventh. With Thomas at second, Cesar Galvez reached on a two-out throwing error by Jake Johansen. Thomas scored on the play. In the eighth, Correlle Prime delivered with a one-out single and Graeter promptly followed with a double off the wall. The relay throw to the plate was late as Prime slid in safely.

Trent Blank pitched a perfect ninth to earn his fourth save of the season. All in all, Asheville used five pitchers. Matt Pierpont notched the win while Manny Rodriguez took the loss for Hagerstown.

Asheville now wraps up the regular season with four games in West Virginia. Friday night's contest is scheduled for 7:05pm.