Drive Let Lead Slip Away, Settle for Series Split with 6-5 Loss

Drive Let Lead Slip Away, Settle for Series Split with 6-5 Loss

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The Greenville Drive erased an early three-run deficit and briefly grabbed the lead in the sixth inning, but a sloppy defensive stretch proved costly Sunday afternoon in a 6-5 loss to the Hub City Spartanburgers at Fifth Third Park.

The defeat dropped Greenville to 3-6 and left the Drive with a split of the six-game series, while Hub City improved to 3-5.

Greenville trailed 3-0 before beginning its comeback in the third. Adonys Guzman opened the inning with a single, Yophery Rodriguez walked and Nazzan Zanetello drew a free pass to load the bases.

Justin Gonzales then lined an RBI single to center to put the Drive on the board, and Rodriguez scored on a Henry Godbout double-play ball to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Hub City pushed the margin back to 4-2 in the fourth when Rafe Perich tripled to center and came home on a balk by reliever Austin Ehrlicher.

The Drive answered with their biggest inning in the sixth. Yoeilin Cespedes worked a two-out walk, Isaiah Jackson singled and Freili Encarnacion was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Guzman then delivered the big swing of the day, ripping a three-run double to left to score Cespedes, Jackson and Encarnacion and give Greenville its first lead at 5-4.

That advantage lasted only a few minutes.

Hub City responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, and Greenville’s defense unraveled in the process. Yeison Morrobel led off with a double, then reached third when Quincy Scott dropped down a sacrifice bunt that turned into a throwing error by Encarnacion. After Joey Gartrell entered in relief, Cal Stark reached on a fielder’s choice as Morrobel scored the tying run, but another Greenville miscue followed when Godbout was charged with a fielding error on the play. Later in the inning, Arturo Disla drew a two-out walk with the bases loaded to force in Scott and put the Spartanburgers back in front, 6-5.

That sequence sealed Greenville’s fate. The Drive managed only one more baserunner in scoring position the rest of the way, getting a leadoff double from Cespedes in the eighth, but could not bring him home. Hub City right-hander Cole Stasio worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win, and Joey Danielson handled the ninth for his second save.

Greenville finished with seven hits, led by Guzman’s 2-for-4 afternoon with a double and three RBIs. Rodriguez also had two hits and scored once, while Cespedes doubled, walked and scored twice. Gonzales added an RBI single.

The Drive, however, were hurt by four errors — three charged to Godbout and one to Encarnacion — and three double plays at the plate. Only three of Hub City’s six runs were earned.

Marcus Phillips went the first three innings for Greenville, allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits while striking out three.

Ehrlicher took the loss after allowing three runs, one earned, in two innings. Gartrell and Steven Brooks combined to keep Hub City off the board over the final three frames, but the damage had already been done.

The Drive will return home to host the Bowling Green Hot Rods beginning Tuesday, April 14^th with first pitch scheduled for 6:45 p.m.