Drive Take Series from Tourists with 5-4 Win
Greenville, SC - Thanks to five runs over the first three innings, the Greenville Drive got going early and held on late to defeat the Asheville Tourists 5-4 in Wednesday's series finale at Fluor Field.
A three-run bottom half of the first was the spark for the Drive (17-21, 54-53). After an Asheville (18-20, 52-55) error with one out, Josh Ockimey drove a Devin Burke (2-4) offering off the top of the Green Monster and out for a two-run homer, his 16th of the season. Michael Chavis followed with a triple to the right-field wall, and he came in on a sacrifice fly by Kyri Washington.
The Tourists answered back in the top of the second, as leadoff singles by Yonathan Daza and Mylz Jones were followed by a game-tying three run homer from Sam Hilliard.
The score remained tied until the bottom of the third, when the Drive took the lead for good. Ockimey drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a single by Chavis. Two batters later, Austin Rei grounded a single back through the middle to plate both runners and make the score 5-3.
Asheville's three-run homer was the only damage done against Drive starter Daniel Gonzalez (2-4), who settled down and earned the victory. He allowed six hits over six innings while striking out three and not issuing a walk.
A Drive error in the top of the eighth allowed the Tourists to cut the lead to 5-4, but Adam Lau escaped further damage in the inning, and Victor Diaz recorded his sixth save by keeping Asheville off the board in the ninth.
Ockimey drove in two runs and scored two runs, while Rei added two RBI of his own and Chavis collected two hits.
The Drive will hit the road from here to play five games in four days against the Charleston RiverDogs, an affiliate of the New York Yankees, in the Battle of the Palmetto State presented by Spinx. Thursday's game begins at 7:05 in Charleston. Left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus (0-1, 736) takes the mound for the Drive, and the RiverDogs will start right-hander Adonis Rosa (0-2, 5.00).