Gonzalez and Gonzalez combine to down Hot Rods,10-4

Wikelman tosses strong 5.2 IP; Bryan 4-for-4 with 2 HRs

Wikelman Gonzalez and Bryan Gonzalez put on a show tonight in their respective positions as each turned in a confidence boosting performance. Bryan Gonzalez went 4-for-4 at the dish, including two homers and 5 RBIs while Wikelman Gonzalez tossed a strong 5.2 innings, allowing just four hits and three runs while collecting eight strikeouts to give the Greenville Drive (15-18) a series opening, 10-4 victory over the South Atlantic League’s reigning champions, the Bowling Green Hot Rods (17-15).

Bolstering the Gonzalez duo’s nights included a 3-for-5 and 1 RBI night from Max Ferguson as well as a 2-for-4, one double, and 2 RBI night from Blaze Jordan. Christopher Troye chipped in 1.2 hitless innings in relief as well, including fanning three of the six batters he faced.

The night looked ominous from the start as Wikleman Gonzalez had not relinquished a home run through six games this season until the Hot Rods’ Bob Seymour sent one off the Flour Field sign in right field to give the Hot Rods a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

But the Drive answered quickly in the bottom of the first as Jordan ripped an RBI-double before Bryan Gonzalez launched a 375-foot, three-run homer over the Green Monster making it 4-2.

After a Blaze Jordan RBI-double, Bryan Gonzalez sends a 375 foot blast over the Green Monster!

Drive 4, Hot Rods 2 pic.twitter.com/1KwFrOcNHG

— Greenville Drive (@GreenvilleDrive) May 16, 2023

Wikelman Gonzalez would relinquish just one more run in the third on a home run before being relived after 5.2 innings of work, finishing his night allowing three runs on four hits, issuing four walks while striking out eight.

Bryan Gonzalez, not content with just one homer, led off the fourth inning with a 434 blast to center field, making it 5-3. The inning and the game would belong to the Drive from there.

GONZO GONZO!

Gonzalez with his second blast of the game! This time it goes 434 feet.

Drive 5, Hot Rods 3 pic.twitter.com/RRwsfvzTlM

— Greenville Drive (@GreenvilleDrive) May 17, 2023

Eddinson Paulino reached after being hit by a pitch, Miguel Ugueto singled moving Paulino to third, and Tyler Miller chipped in a sacrifice-fly to score Paulino making it 6-3. Ferguson added an RBI-bloop single to make it 7-3 and round out the fourth inning.

Nathan Landry, relieved Wikelman Gonzalez with two outs in the sixth, picked up a crucial strikeout with the bases loaded to preserve the 7-3 Drive lead. He’d be relived in the seventh after just one out, by Troye. Landry finished his night tossing 0.2 innings, allowing two hits, no runs, two walks and a strikeout.

Troye shut the door on the Hot Rods in his 1.2 innings of work, not allowing a hit, while picking up three strikeouts. He’d be relieved by Robert Kwiatkowski in the ninth.

The Drive tacked on three more runs over the course of the final three frames. A Tyler Miller groundout was enough to score Jordan from third in the seventh and as the game flipped to the eighth a Jordan sacrifice fly plated Ferguson before Bryan Gonzalez added his fourth hit of the night and fifth RBI, as Bonaci scored to make it 10-3.

The Hot Rods chipped in their final run in the ninth off Kwiatkowski, but Kwiatkowski remained composed picking up the final two outs in succession after the run, preserving a 10-4 Drive victory.

The Drive (Boston Red Sox) return to action tomorrow, May 17 at Fluor Field for game two of the six-game series with the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays), with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Greenville currently holds a 1-0 lead in the series.