Three Homers Not Enough as Drive Fall to Grasshoppers, 11-7

Three Homers Not Enough as Drive Fall to Grasshoppers, 11-7

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Greenville Drive showed early pop and late fight, but a six-run fifth inning proved too much to overcome Friday night as Greenville dropped an 11-7 decision to the Greensboro Grasshoppers at Fluor Field at the West End.

Baseball's #79 overall prospect Kyson Witherspoon made his professional debut for the Drive. The right hander exited after 3 1/3 innings, giving up 4 runs and recording a pair of strikeouts on the night. While ultimately tagged with the loss, the highly touted prospect flashed with a high 90's fastball in his first start.

Greenville fell to 0-2 on the young season despite home runs from Justin Gonzales, Mason White and Nazzan Zanetello, along with a three-hit night from Yoeilin Cespedes.

The Drive came out fast against Greensboro starter Cameron Keshock, needing just one batter to get on the board. The Red Sox #6 prospect Gonzales opened the bottom of the first by turning on a 2-2 pitch and sending it out to left field for his first home run of the season, giving Greenville a 1-0 lead.

Greensboro answered with single runs in the second and third, including a solo homer by Wyatt Sanford, but the Drive punched right back in the bottom of the third.

Cespedes started the inning with a double to left and moved to third on Isaiah Jackson’s groundout. Two batters later, White jumped on the first pitch he saw and drove it to left-center for a two-run homer, putting Greenville back in front, 3-2.

That edge held briefly before Greensboro answered in the fourth. After a walk and two singles loaded the pressure onto Drive starter Witherspoon, Camden Janik delivered a two-run single to right to swing the lead back to the Grasshoppers at 4-3.

The game turned decisively in the fifth, when Greensboro sent 10 men to the plate and scored six times. Axiel Plaz drove in two with a double to right-center, Jared Jones added an RBI single, and Janik came through again with a two-run single. The Grasshoppers also capitalized on a pair of Greenville errors in the inning to extend the lead to 10-3.

Even after the deficit grew, the Drive kept grinding.

Zanetello led off the scoring in the sixth with a two-out solo homer to right, trimming the margin to 10-4. Greenville then made its biggest push in the eighth.

Natanael Yuten singled to open the inning and Antonio Anderson reached on an error to put two on. Gonzales followed with an RBI single to right-center, scoring Yuten and moving Anderson to third.

Cespedes then lined his second double of the night to shallow left, plating Anderson to bring Greenville within 11-6. Jackson followed with a productive groundout that scored Gonzales and cut the deficit to four.

That was as close as the Drive could get.

Greensboro reliever Jaycob Deese was charged with three runs in the eighth, but Inmer Lobo came on in the ninth and recorded the final outs to preserve the win for the Grasshoppers, who improved to 2-0.

Gonzales finished 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Greenville offense while also recording two spectacular assists from the outfield on defense. Cespedes also went 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored, while White drove in two with his third-inning blast. Zanetello added a solo homer and Anderson scored once.

Witherspoon took the loss for Greenville after allowing four runs on six hits over 3 1/3 innings. Ben Hansen was tagged for six runs, five earned, in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Joe Vogatsky helped stabilize the game by covering 3 1/3 innings and allowing just one unearned run, while reserve catcher Hudson White was pressed into service on the mound and worked a scoreless ninth.

Greenville finished with nine hits and drew seven walks, but three errors and a passed ball helped Greensboro take advantage of its chances. The Grasshoppers collected 19 hits and went 7-for-17 with runners in scoring position.

The Drive will look to bounce back Saturday in the Opening Weekend series finale at Fluor Field with first pitch scheduled for 6:45 pm.