Asheville's ninth-inning rally beats Hoppers

GREENSBORO ― Luis Santana grounded a two-run single through the drawn-in infield to cap a four-run rally in the ninth inning as the Asheville Tourists beat the Greensboro Grasshoppers 5-4 at First National Bank Field on Sunday afternoon.

Greensboro reliever Oliver Mateo inherited runners at first and second when he came into game with one out in the ninth and the Hoppers clinging to a 4-3 lead. Mateo threw a wild pitch to advance the runners, and the Hoppers brought the infield in. Santana hit Mateo’s third pitch on the ground, just out of reach of second baseman Jackson Glenn.

The runs were charged to right-hander Cameron Junker (3-2), who allowed four runs on three hits and a walk in 1⅓ innings of relief to take the loss.

The disastrous ninth inning wrecked right-hander Jared Jones’ best start of the season.

Jones, a 20-year-old rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 11 prospect in Pittsburgh’s farm system, walked none and struck out nine in seven strong innings. He allowed just four hits, including Chad Stevens’ solo home run on a fly ball that carried out to right field.

Jones ranks third in the South Atlantic League with 86 strikeouts in 63⅔ innings.

The Hoppers built a 4-1 lead on three solo home runs and a strange balk.

Yoyner Fajardo led off the game for the Hoppers with a home run off the scoreboard in right field, and Dariel Lopez hit a 431-foot home run to left-center field in the fourth.

Eli Wilson’s solo homer bounced back onto the field after rattling around in the Sunbrella Shade Zone patio in the left-field corner, and it gave the Hoppers a 4-1 lead in the seventh inning. Wilson went 3-for-4 to account for half of the Hoppers’ hits.

Endy Rodriguez manufactured the Hoppers’ second run. He singled with one out in the third inning, took second on a wild pitch and third on Jacob Gonzalez’s flyout to deep center field.

Rodriguez took a huge lead and attempted a straight steal of home. The move surprised pitcher Franny Cobos, who committed a balk trying to hurry his throw to the plate.

NOTES

• Greensboro is 11-11 in one-run games this season. The Hoppers have won 10 of their last 16 one-run games.
• First baseman Jacob Gonzalez went 0-for-3 Sunday with two flyouts to the warning track. He was hit by a pitch to extend his on-base streak to 13 consecutive games. Since his promotion from Class-A Bradenton on May 10, Gonzalez has reached base in 30 of 35 games, with 11 multi-hit games. Gonzalez is 41-for-134 (.306) with seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and 19 RBIs.
• Infielder Dariel Lopez has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games, going 20-for-56 (.357) with five home runs, three doubles, 14 RBIs and 15 runs scored. He has seven multi-hit games in that span, and his homer Sunday was his 11th of the season.
• Utility player Ernny Ordoñez went 0-for-4 Sunday, but since June 1 he has hit safely in 10 of 14 games, with six home runs, two doubles and 16 RBIs in that span.
• Endy Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Rodriguez has hit safely in 10 of his last 14 games, going 14-for-47 (.298) with six doubles, a home run and 10 RBIs. Rodriguez started in left field Sunday. The versatile 22-year-old is rated by MLB Pipeline as Pittsburgh's No. 7 prospect, and he has played four positions ― catcher, first base, second base and left field ― this season.
• Center fielder Hudson Head, a 21-year-old rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 20 prospect in Pittsburgh's farm system, went 0-for-3 with a walk and has reached base in 37 of his last 43 games.