Lopsided loss sends Asheville back home

GREENVILLE, SC - Finalizing a seven-game series, the Asheville Tourists dropped the Sunday matinee 16-0 to the Greenville Drive at Fluor Field.

The Tourists (12-15) fell behind early and struggled to stir up momentum against the Drive's (12-15) pitching staff. It is the fourth time the club has been held scoreless this year, and they suffered their largest margin of defeat.

Right-hander Jose Guedez (L, 1-2) was tabbed with the start and tossed in three innings. He surrendered two across in the first and a trio in his last frame on four hits and two walks. Two of his runs were unearned due to an error.

Colby Langford pitched a clean fourth inning before Brett Gillis gave up an unearned run in the fifth on the Tourists' second error of the contest.

He then allowed another seven runs to score in the sixth to put the game out of reach, on another pair of Asheville mishaps. Only one of the runs Gillis allowed was earned.

In his third High-A appearance, Garrett Apker tossed one and one-third scoreless innings of work, picking up one strikeout, and Julio Rodriguez gave up three runs in the eighth frame.

The bats were kept to four hits, half of which stemmed from Cristian Gonzalez. Striking out 19 times, the offense tied its season high in whiffs, which they set earlier in the series on Tuesday.

Asheville’s four errors are a single-game season worst. It cost them nine unearned runs in the contest.

The club will head back home with an off day tomorrow, before taking on a fierce Brooklyn Cyclones team, which sits near the top of the North Division standings. Tuesday night hosts the first of a six-game series between the two foes, with the first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. ET.