Drive Defeat RiverDogs 5-4 to Even Series

Charleston, SC - Behind a three-run top of the fifth inning, the Greenville Drive came away with a 5-4 victory over the Charleston RiverDogs on Friday night and evened the series at one game apiece.

Trailing 2-1 entering the fifth, the Drive (18-22, 55-54) placed the first three runners of the inning on base against Erik Swanson (6-5). Nick Lovullo led off with a single, and a Jeremy Rivera walk followed by a wild pitch put runners on second and third. Luis Alexander Basabe then singled to left to tie the game at two, and Mitchell Gunsolus delivered a two-run single to put the Drive ahead for good.

The big inning made a winner out of Dedgar Jimenez (5-5), who scattered nine hits over five and one-third innings while allowing three runs.

Charleston (20-20, 62-47) cut the lead to 4-3 after a wild pitch by Gerson Bautista in the sixth plated a run, and after Rivera's sacrifice fly in the eighth tacked on the fifth Drive run, the RiverDogs answered back again in the bottom half on Hoy Jun Park's RBI single.

Trevor Kelley entered after Park's single, and he allowed just one single while getting the final four outs of the game to earn his second save.

Kyri Washington put the Drive ahead in the top of the first by lacing an RBI double to score Tate Matheny, who reached on an error and stole second.

The RiverDogs took a 2-1 lead against Jimenez thanks to an RBI single from Chris Gittens in the third and an RBI single by Audie Afenir in the fourth.

Lovullo picked up two hits for Greenville, while Gunsolus drove home a pair.

The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday in Charleston, with game one beginning at 4:05 PM. Left-hander Logan Boyd (11-6, 5.09) will start game one for the Drive, while the starter for game two is still undecided. The RiverDogs will start right-handers Christian Morris (7-2, 2.45) and Taylor Widener (0-0, 3.00) in the doubleheader.