Drive Comeback Falls Short in 3-2 Loss to Hub City

Drive Comeback Falls Short in 3-2 Loss to Hub City

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Antonis Macias delivered a two-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday night to lift the Hub City Spartanburgers to a 3-2 win over the Greenville Drive at Fifth Third Park, evening the six-game series through four games.

The loss dropped Greenville to 2-5 on the season, while Hub City improved to 2-4.

After battling back from a two-run deficit with a pair of runs in the seventh, the Drive were unable to hold the tie in the ninth. Paxton Kling opened the inning with a walk against P.J. Labriola, stole second, then moved to third when Arturo Disla grounded into a double play. After Yeison Morrobel walked and took second on defensive indifference, Macias lined a single into left-center with two outs to bring home Kling and end it.

Greenville’s offense was quiet for most of the night against Hub City starter Dalton Pence, who allowed just one hit over 5 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out eight. The Drive did not break through until the seventh and finished with only three hits while striking out 11 times.

Hub City took a 1-0 lead in the third when Macias led off with a bunt single, moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a flyout, and scored on Maxton Martin’s two-out single up the middle.

The Spartanburgers doubled the lead in the fourth. Kling singled to right, stole second, and came home when a throwing error by Greenville catcher Adonys Guzman on the steal attempt allowed him to move up, setting up Disla’s sacrifice fly to right for a 2-0 advantage.

Greenville finally answered in the seventh. Mason White singled and Freili Encarnacion followed with a base hit to put runners at the corners. Guzman then worked a walk to load the bases, chasing Hub City reliever Adonis Villavicencio. Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa entered and hit Yophery Rodriguez with a pitch to force in White, trimming the deficit to 2-1. One batter later, Antonio Anderson brought home Encarnacion with a groundout to first, tying the game at 2-2.

That rally represented the only sustained threat for the Drive, who went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. White, Encarnacion and Yophery Rodriguez accounted for Greenville’s three hits.

Despite the loss, Greenville received a strong start from Kyson Witherspoon. The right-hander struck out six over four innings, allowing three hits and two runs, though only one was earned. Ben Hansen followed with three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out four and keeping the Drive within striking distance before Labriola was tagged with the loss in the ninth.

Macias finished 2 for 4 and drove in the winning run for Hub City. Kling scored twice, reached base three times, and stole two bases. Martin added an RBI single, while Disla contributed a sacrifice fly.

Drive manager Liam Carroll was ejected by home plate umpire Brandon Smith during the ninth inning.

Greenville will continue its six-game set against Hub City looking to bounce back after letting a late tie slip away in a game dominated by pitching, defense, and just enough timely hitting from the Spartanburgers at the end.