Rogers fans career-high 8 to earn win

GREENSBORO, N.C. (July 17, 2018) -- Trevor Rogers struck out a career-high eight batters in the longest start of his young career, pitching the Grasshoppers past the Tourists, 5-2, on Tuesday afternoon at First National Bank Field. Rogers, the Miami Marlins first round pick in the June 2017 First-Year Player Draft, worked 6.0 innings and gave the offense time to build a lead for win in the series finale.
Greensboro (46-48, 12-13 Second Half) snapped its 3-game losing skid and prevented Asheville from sweeping the series. Offensively, Marcos Rivera and Will Allen each belted 2-run homers in support of Rogers as the Grasshoppers.
Rogers (1-4) allowed two runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings, walking one while besting his previous career-high by two strikeouts. He combined with relievers Gabriel Castellanos and Jeremy Ovalle for 13 strikeouts and only three walks against the Tourists.   Asheville starter Lucas Gilbreath (4-6) took the loss, giving up three runs on four hits in 5.0 innings. 
In the bottom of the second, Rivera smacked a 1-out double to left field, and Michael Hernandez traded places with him on his own RBI-double for a 1-0 lead. The Tourists tied the game in the top of the fourth when Chad Spanberger led off with a ground-rule double, and Sean Bouchard drove him in on a 2-out single.
In the home half of the fourth, Rivera followed an Isael Soto walk with his 2-run home run (9) to the right of the batters eye in center field for a 3-1 lead.  
Despite the Tourists pulling with a run in the sixth on another Bouchard RBI-single, Allen put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth.
The Grasshoppers open a 7-game road trip to Delmarva and Lakewood on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. when they face the Shorebirds in Salisbury, Md. The team returns to Greensboro for a 3-game home stand July 27-29 when they face the in-state rival Hickory Crawdads at First National Bank Field. Tickets are available online at gsohoppers.com.