Drive Cruise Past Braves, 8-1

Greenville, SC - The Greenville Drive (17-35, 51-70) put together a complete performance on Tuesday night against the Rome Braves (23-29, 47-75), getting fantastic pitching and a 14-hit performance in an 8-1 victory at Fluor Field. The series is now tied at one game apiece.

Drive starter Teddy Stankiewicz (9-7) gave the team yet another quality outing, giving up just four hits and one run, on a Carlos Franco solo homer, with one walk and seven strikeouts in seven innings.

He got all the runs he would need in the bottom of the first. Following a Manuel Margot single, Tzu-Wei Lin cracked a two-run homer to right-center, his first of the season, to put the Drive up 2-0.

The Drive would continue to have their way with Rome starter Matt Marksberry (5-8), scoring three times in the second and twice in the third to end his night. The second inning began with three consecutive hits, with Tim Roberson's double to right scoring Cole Sturgeon, who singled. Two batters later, Margot lined a triple to right-center to score Danny Bethea and Roberson.

Sam Travis began the third with a double to right, and he later scored on Sturgeon's double to center. Roberson later smacked a single to left to plate Sturgeon and extend the lead to 7-0.

Wendell Rijo got in on the action in the fourth with an RBI single off Michael Swanner to score Margot, who doubled leading off the frame.

Margot had a huge night offensively, falling a homer shy of the cycle and going 3-4 with two runs and two RBI. Bethea, Roberson and Sturgeon all collected two hits as well. Connor Lien was the lone Rome hitter with a two-hit night.

The rubber game of the series begins at 7:05 on Wednesday night at Fluor Field. LH Daniel McGrath (4-5, 3.71) will take the mound for the Drive, while the Braves will counter with RH Steve Janas (2-4, 4.70).