Bleis Belts Two Homers as Drive Dethrone Emperors 7–2

Bleis Belts Two Homers as Drive Dethrone Emperors 7–2

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Red Sox No. 12 Prospect Miguel Bleis launched a pair of home runs and drove in three runs while Max Carlson spun 4.2 innings of solid relief, powering the Greenville Drive (27–27) to a 7–2 victory over the Rome Emperors (27–27) on Thursday night at Fluor Field.

Bleis continued his recent tear at the plate, delivering solo and two-run homers in the first and third innings, respectively. His performance set the tone for a Drive offense that capitalized on Rome’s defensive miscues and erupted for six runs over the first five innings.

Yophery Rodriguez and Brooks Brannon each added an RBI, and Nazzan Zanetello delivered the knockout blow in the fifth — a three-run shot to left that stretched Greenville’s lead to 7–2. It was Zanetello’s fifth home run of the year.

Greenville opened the scoring with two outs in the bottom of the first, when Bleis turned on a 0-0 pitch from Logan Samuels (0–2) and crushed it over the left field wall. The Drive added three more in the third, sparked by a leadoff single from Andy Lugo and aided by a throwing error and Bleis’ second longball of the night.

Rome briefly threatened in the fifth, scoring twice on a sequence of three Greenville errors. Harry Owen came around after a throwing error by Zanetello, and Jace Grady scored when Will Verdung reached on another Zanetello miscue.

Despite the defensive lapses — the Drive committed four errors — Carlson (3–1) kept the Emperors in check. The right-hander allowed just one hit and no earned runs across 4.2 innings, striking out six. Cooper Adams closed the door with three scoreless frames to earn his second save.

Rome's offense mustered only four hits on the night and went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The Emperors’ lone RBI came from Lizandro Espinoza, who grounded out in the fifth to bring in a run.

Lugo finished 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base for Greenville, while Bleis added a steal of his own and now has 11 on the season. Zanetello reached base three times, drawing two walks to go along with his homer.

Samuels took the loss for Rome, surrendering six runs (all earned) on six hits over 4.1 innings. He was lifted after issuing a walk and a single in the fifth, and reliever Samuel Strickland promptly allowed Zanetello’s blast.

The Drive and Emperors continue their six-game series Friday night at Fluor Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.