Drive Rebound to Defeat Fireflies, 5-1

Greenville, SC - On a picture perfect day for baseball at Fluor Field, the Greenville Drive did everything right on Sunday and defeated the Columbia Fireflies 5-1 to snap a four-game losing skid. 

The Drive (10-8) never trailed in Sunday's game, as they used three singles in the bottom of the first, including an RBI single by Josh Ockimey, to take a 1-0 lead.

Two more runs in the second inning pushed the score to 3-0. A Fireflies (10-8) error brought home the first run of the frame, and Tate Matheny laced a single to center field to plate the next run.

Those runs were plenty for Greenville starter Logan Boyd (3-1), who worked five innings and allowed just one run on five hits while striking out five. The Drive bullpen put together a much-needed strong performance as well, with Jake Cosart and Bobby Poyner keeping the Fireflies off the board for the final four innings.

Columbia scored their lone run of the game in the third inning when Milton Ramos doubled off the wall in center and came home on Tucker Tharp's RBI single to right.

The Drive scored single runs in the sixth and seventh inning to pull away. Matheny singled with two outs in the sixth and came home when Ockimey lined a triple into the right field corner. In the seventh, Roldani Baldwin doubled off the Green Monster and later came home on a single by Joseph Monge.

Joe Shaw (2-1) took the loss for the Fireflies after allowing three runs in four innings.

Matheny and Monge each collected three hits to lead the way for Greenville, while Ockimey went 2-4 with a pair of RBI and Jeremy Rivera chipped in with two hits. 

After the first off day of the season, the Drive will begin a Northern Division road trip with a three-game series against the Delmarva Shorebirds, affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. First pitch for Tuesday's game is at 7:05. The Drive will send RH Roniel Raudes (2-0, 1.35) to the mound in the opener, and the Shorebirds will counter with RH Francisco Jimenez (1-1, 3.00).