Drive Outlast Hippies in Extras on Thursday

Asheville, NC - Nine innings weren't enough to decide a winner between the Greenville Drive and Asheville Hippies on Thursday night, and when the smoke cleared, it was the Drive who scored three times in the 12^th inning to come away with a 9-6 win.
Thursday's game in Asheville proved to be far out, and the zaniness extended into the 12^th to put the Drive (2-6, 43-34) ahead. After one-out singles by Roldani Baldwin and Tucker Tubbs, a groundout moved both runners up 90 feet, and a Hippies (5-3, 34-42) error on Carlos Tovar's grounder plated two runs. Lorenzo Cedrola then doubled to left to score Tovar and extend the lead to three.

Unfazed by the tie-dye jerseys sported by the Hippies, the Drive jumped out to a 3-0 lead into the first three innings. Tubbs laced an RBI single in the second to score Tyler Hill, who led off with a triple. Hill then smacked a two-run double in the third to add to the lead.
The Hippies were not interested in going down peacefully, as they tagged Robby Sexton for four runs in the fourth. Bobby Wernes delivered a two-run double to cut the Drive lead to one, and Max George followed with a two-run homer to left to put Asheville ahead.
Tubbs continued to be a thorn in the Hippies' side in the fifth inning, as he doubled to score Ryan Scott, who also doubled, and tie the game at four. Asheville answered right back as Manuel Melendez smacked a solo homer to make the score 5-4.
In the eighth, Baldwin singled and later came home on a groundout by Steven Reveles to tie the game back up.
From there until the 11^th, the teams made peace, not war. Tovar broke the truce by tripling in the 11^th, and he came home on a double by Santiago Espinal to put the Drive ahead 6-5. That didn't last long, however, as Jacob Bosiokovic's solo homer knotted the game up once again.  
The Drive bullpen was terrific in victory, as Algenis Martinez, Matthew Gorst (4-3) and Hunter Smith combined to allow just two runs over eight innings. Gorst allowed just one run in three innings to get the win, and Smith logged his fourth save with a scoreless 12^th.
Tubbs collected five hits on Thursday, becoming the first Drive player to do so this season. Hill added three hits of his own, while Baldwin, Cedrola, Espinal and Scott all notched two hits apiece.
The Drive return home on Friday night to begin a four-game series with the Lexington Legends, an affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. First pitch at Fluor Field is at 7:05 PM, and the Drive will start left-hander Jhonathan Diaz (2-1, 4.67) to the mound.