Tourists Run Over Drive, 14-6

Asheville, NC - The Asheville Tourists (23-18) weren't very hospitable hosts for the Greenville Drive's (21-19) first visit to Asheville in 2014, as an eight-run second inning propelled the Tourists to a 14-6 victory on Saturday night.

Asheville's barrage of baserunners in the second knocked Drive starter Myles Smith (0-2) out of the game. After a pair of one-out walks, Jose Briceno dumped an RBI single to right for the first run of the night, and Alec Mehrten followed with an RBI single of his own. 

Later in the frame, David Dahl hit an RBI single, Zach Osborne lifted a sacrifice fly, and a throwing error led to Asheville's fifth run. Pat Valaika's RBI double to left chased Smith, and Mario Alcantara promptly gave up RBI doubles to Ryan McMahon and Ashley Graeter.

The Tourists pushed the score to 10-0 after RBI hits from Max White and Dahl.

Jantzen Witte finally got the Drive on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth when he smacked a three-run homer to right against Alex Balog (3-3).

Those were the only runs against Balog, who earned the victory with five and a third-innings and four strikeouts.

McMahon delivered an RBI single against Alcantara in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 11-3, and he added a 2-run single in the eighth against Mike Adams for more insurance. He led the way offensively for Asheville with a 3-5 night and four RBI.

The Drive scored three runs in the ninth on Jake Romanski's two-run double and Manuel Margot's RBI groundout.

Graeter joined McMahon with three hits for the Tourists, and Dahl went 2-4 with two RBI. Witte had two hits and three RBI to lead the Drive, and Romanski and Tzu-Wei Lin added a pair of hits apiece.

Game two of the four game series is set for 2:05 on Sunday afternoon in Asheville. RH Ty Buttrey (0-2, 13.50) will start for the Drive, and the Tourists will send RH Konner Wade (2-4, 6.38) to the mound.