Brown Dominates as Drive Hand Tourists Fifth Straight Loss, 11-3

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The playoff picture is getting complicated. With Winston-Salem, Greenville, Asheville, and Rome all separated by just two games, Saturday night was a missed opportunity for the Tourists. Dylan Brown made sure of it.

The Greenville starter was dominant, going 6.1 innings and allowing just two runs, one of them unearned, while striking out nine. It was the kind of performance that has defined this series for Greenville, and it handed Asheville its fifth straight loss, 11-3.

Parker Smith had the opposite night. The right-hander was tagged for five earned runs on eight hits in just two innings without recording a strikeout. The game was effectively over before Asheville had settled in.

Greenville struck in the first on a Jake Schaffner groundout that was nearly a double play, but Schaffner legged it out and it scored Enddy Azocar. Then the second inning blew it open. Nazzan Zanetello doubled to score Yophery Rodriguez. Stanley Tucker singled to score Zanetello. Owen Hull singled to score two more. 5-0 before Asheville came to bat in the second.

Grayson Saunier came on in relief of Smith. Saunier had driven four hours from Fayetteville the day before to join the roster for his first Asheville appearance, but couldn't stop the bleeding in the fourth. A throwing error from Saunier on the mound allowed a run to score, and Luke Heyman doubled to push the lead to 7-0.

Asheville finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. A Dylan Brown throwing error allowed Xavier Neyens to score, and Caden Powell doubled to score Ethan Frey. 7-2. That was as close as the Tourists would get.

Joan Ogando settled things down with two solid innings, allowing just one run and striking out four. But Max Martin allowed three runs in the sixth through eighth to keep Greenville comfortably ahead. Azocar homered in the seventh, singled to score a run in the eighth, and a Justin Gonzalez sacrifice fly made it 11-2 before a Freuddy Batista sacrifice fly in the ninth accounted for Asheville's final run.

Powell was the only Tourist with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Michael Cuevas closed out the ninth with two strikeouts and no runs allowed.

Asheville now sits two games out of a playoff spot with the Southern Division tightly bunched. The Tourists and Drive wrap up the series Sunday afternoon at HomeTrust Park. Dylan Howard takes the ball for Asheville against Greenville's Matt Duffy. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.