First Extra-Inning Game of the Season Yields Close Loss

LEXINGTON- The Asheville Tourists were unable to snap their road losing streak on Friday night but they played a really good ballgame against the Lexington Legends. Asheville forced extra-innings for the first time this season and needed a comeback to do so. Unfortunately, the Legends plated their tenth inning runner while the Tourists left theirs stranded. Lexington won by a final of 5-4.
Ryan Feltner showcased some magnificent stuff on the mound for the Tourists. The Hudson, Ohio native struck out ten in six innings of work. Feltner surrendered only four hits; however, two were Home Runs. The latter of the Home Runs gave Lexington a 4-2 lead but the Tourists would respond.

Asheville plated two runs in the seventh inning thanks to a Legends error and a Kyle Datres RBI single. Datres already had a triple and a solo Home Run under his belt from earlier in the game. Coco Montes also blasted a solo Home Run to open the scoring in the second inning.
Asheville's bullpen was just as good as Feltner. Riley Pint , Jake Bird , and Alexander Martinez combined to pitch 3.2 innings and did not give up a hit between the three of them. Once the Tourists did not score in the top of the tenth, the Legends used a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to score the winning run.
The offense for the Tourists was quiet over the final three frames but this is just the latest chapter in the Tourists losing a game they likely should have won. Asheville struck out a season-high 15 Legends, gave up four total hits, Datres was a double away from the cycle, and the Legends committed three errors. Somehow the result was an all-to-familiar one.
The Tourists will try and re-write the book on Saturday with game two against Lexington scheduled for 6:35pm.