Bill on Baseball: Neither Rain Nor Hoppers Stop Asheville
Rain, shine, afternoon, night - none of it seems to matter when the Hoppers play Asheville.The Tourists put a 9-2 licking on Greensboro Sunday afternoon in a game shortened to seven innings by rain. It was delayed once for 41 minutes, resumed and then washed out by a second storm.It
Rain, shine, afternoon, night - none of it seems to matter when the Hoppers play Asheville.
The Tourists put a 9-2 licking on Greensboro Sunday afternoon in a game shortened to seven innings by rain. It was delayed once for 41 minutes, resumed and then washed out by a second storm.
It was Asheville's 11th win in 13 games against the Hoppers, during which Greensboro has been outscored by 44 runs (112-68).
The Hoppers were held to one hit by
"We had no answer for their offense," said Hoppers manager Todd Pratt.
The lone Greensboro hit was a two-run homer by Will Banfield, one of the trio of young players who joined the club for the start of the home stand. It was his third hit with the Hoppers - all of them home runs.
"He's strong, he's got a good swing and he's making pitchers pay for mistakes," Pratt said.
Hoppers starter
"He's lost his breaking ball," said pitching coach Mark DiFelice. "He has no secondary pitches to get hitters off his fastball."
So what's the solution?
"Just continue to work on his throwing program," DiFelice said. "He has to keep throwing those pitches to get the feel back."
The Hoppers get one last crack at the Tourists Monday at noon.
NOTES: The Hoppers were able to hold Siler City native