Rose delivers walk-off single as Drive end four-game skid with 8-7 victory over Hot Rods

Caden Rose delivered a much needed victory for the Greenville Drive (2-4) Thursday night, slapping a two-out single through the left side of the infield in the bottom of the ninth, scoring a hard-charging Kristian Campbell from second base, delivering the 8-7 walk-off over the Bowling Green Hot Rods (3-3).

The walk-off hit capped off a 2-for-5 night at the plate for Rose, who launched a home run back in the second inning, and snapped the Drive’s four-game skid as the Drive offense finally broke through after back-to-back nights of being stifled by a stellar Hot Rods pitching staff.

After three days of overcast and the occasional downpour, the sun came out and ended a one-hour-three minute rain delay on Thursday; and the Drive offense would have a breakout of their own in the second inning, scratching across four runs with Rose’s home run – his second of the year – kickstarting the barrage..

Miguel Ugueto followed up with a single and a steal before Tyler Miller’s double set up two runners in scoring position for Bryan Gonzalez. Gonzalez promptly rapped a double off the left field wall to make it 3-0.Kristian Campbell would add the fourth and final run on groundout to second, bringing Gonzalez in for the 4-0 lead.

After a Brayden Taylor RBI-single to right put the Hot Rods on the board, Luis Ravelo responded for the Drive, blasting a deep fly to center field to make it 5-1 Drive. But Ravelo’s efforts would only carry the Drive so far as the Hot Rods stormed back for a four-run top of the fourth, finally cracking Drive starter Juan Daniel Encarnacion.

Tatem Levins knocked a leadoff homer, Hunter Hass chipped in a sac-fly to right, and Jhon Diaz slapped two-run homer off the Greenville Pesky Pole in right field to knot the game at 5-5. Encarnacion would exit after the homer, allowing seven hits, five runs while picking up six strikeouts.

The teams would trade runs again as Gonzalez’s fly to the right field gap was dropped by Hot Rods left fielder Blake Roberston allowing Tyler Miller to score from first. Xavier Issac would get the run back for the Hot Rods, picking up a sac-fly to right to knot the game again, this time at 6-6.

The Hot Rods threatened to put a damper on what was seemingly a Drive breakout game in the eighth inning as a Robertson groundout off reliever Gabriel Jackson was enough to score Brock Jones from third for a 7-6 lead. Jackson would finish his night tossing four innings, allowing five hits and two runs while fanning five.

But the Drive didn’t go quietly, as Gonzalez barreled up a two-out homer in the bottom of the eighth that snuck around the right field foul pole knotting the game at 7-7 and seemingly igniting the Drive.

Caleb Bolden shut the door on the Hot Rods, allowing a lone walk while ringing up three in his 1.1 innings of relief, setting up the Drive for a chance to walk it off in the ninth. Back-to-back walks issued by Jack Hartman out Campbell at second and Allan Castro on first. A Ronald Rosario line out and Luis Ravelo pop out put the Drive’s comeback chances in doubt before Rose delivered the clutch single, giving the Drive the 8-7 lead.