Makarewicz’s Grand Slam Sinks Drive in Costly 9-5 Loss to Dash

Makarewicz’s Grand Slam Sinks Drive in Costly 9-5 Loss to Dash

GREENVILLE, S.C. — A big swing from Alec Makarewicz and a barrage of early mistakes doomed the Greenville Drive (41-42) on Thursday night at Fluor Field, as the Winston-Salem Dash (31-52) capitalized on a momentum-shifting grand slam to hand the Drive a 9-5 loss and drop them below .500 once again.

Makarewicz’s bases-clearing blast in the top of the fourth capped a five-run inning that turned a tight 4-3 game into an 8-4 Winston-Salem advantage. It was his fourth homer of the season and accounted for four of his game-high four RBIs on a night when he finished 4-for-5 with a triple and a run scored as well.

The trouble began right away for the Drive. Starter Brandon Clarke labored through two-plus innings, hampered by wild pitches, stolen bases, and defensive miscues. In the opening frame, Jeral Perez reached on a throwing error by second baseman Justin Riemer and promptly swiped third. Samuel Zavala walked and stole both second and third, and a Clarke wild pitch allowed Perez to cross for the first run of the night.

After Greenville leveled it in the bottom of the first — thanks to a fielding error by Dash left fielder Cole McConnell that set up Nazzan Zanetello to score on Antonio Anderson’s RBI groundout — the Dash took control again in the second. Makarewicz led off with a triple and scored moments later on a wild pitch. A passed ball by catcher Johanfran Garcia added another run as McConnell, who had been hit by a pitch, trotted home to make it 3-1.

The Drive briefly fought back in the third. Down 3-1, Greenville jumped on Dash starter Jake Bockenstedt as Clarke exited early. Nelly Taylor walked, Garcia drew another free pass, and Anderson ripped a two-run double to left to tie it. Yophery Rodriguez followed with a single to plate Garcia and give Greenville a short-lived 4-3 lead.

But reliever Erik Rivera couldn’t hold the advantage. After a scoreless third, he was tagged for five runs in the fourth. Perez singled, Montgomery walked, Zavala moved them up with a groundout, and Hernandez delivered a clutch RBI single. A walk to Jackson Appel loaded the bases for Makarewicz, who unloaded them with his no-doubt slam into the left-field bleachers.

Trailing 8-4, Greenville had their chances but couldn’t capitalize. Zanetello doubled to open the fifth and moved to third on a wild pitch, but the Drive stranded him. They finally scratched back a run in the sixth when Riemer bunted for a single, stole second, and scored on Garcia’s sacrifice fly, trimming the deficit to 8-5.

The bullpen, highlighted by Adam Smith’s solid 3.1 innings of relief (1 run, 4 Ks), held the Dash scoreless until the ninth, when Makarewicz singled again and later scored on McConnell’s RBI single for a key insurance run.

Greenville put two runners aboard only once more — Anderson’s single in the ninth gave the home crowd brief hope — but Phil Fox shut the door with a pair of strikeouts to seal the Dash’s second win of the series.

The Drive left 10 runners on base, went just 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position, and committed a costly early error and passed ball that helped fuel Winston-Salem’s big start. Greenville also had a runner picked off and caught stealing at third in the first inning, undercutting a promising threat.

Riemer was a bright spot for Greenville, going 2-for-4 with a steal and a run scored. Anderson finished with two hits and two RBIs. Zanetello chipped in with two hits, a double, and a walk.

Greenville will look to salvage the series Friday night at Fluor Field as they continue their fight to stay in the second-half South Atlantic League race. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.