Hub City Squeaks Out Game One of I-85 Rivalry
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — After an hour-long rain delay, the Spartanburgers (9-7) finally began the long-awaited Tuesday matchup with the Greenville Drive (7-8). Two hours and 18 minutes, 28 strikeouts and one run later, Hub City claimed its first-ever shutout win in game one of the I-85 Rivalry, 1-0. The Spartanburgers
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — After an hour-long rain delay, the Spartanburgers (9-7) finally began the long-awaited Tuesday matchup with the Greenville Drive (7-8). Two hours and 18 minutes, 28 strikeouts and one run later, Hub City claimed its first-ever shutout win in game one of the I-85 Rivalry, 1-0.
The Spartanburgers got a sterling start from right-hander Leandro Lopez (W, 1-0), who notched five innings for the first time since July of 2023. The Dominican struck out eight Greenville batters without a walk and limited the Drive to three hits. Out of the bullpen, Mailon Felix, Josh Mollerus, Seth Clark and Wilian Bormie (S, 1) all spun scoreless frames. The first two relievers were especially impressive, recording back-to-back one-two-three innings with some help from shortstop Theo Hardy.
Lopez got off to a much better start in his second appearance at Fifth Third Park. The right-hander retired all three batters he faced in the top of the first, finishing with a strikeout. Lopez would tally at least one strikeout in every inning of work. Lopez tossed clean innings in the second and fourth while working around a one-out single in the third.
Greenville starter Danny Kirwin faced a little more traffic. Hub City got the leadoff batter, Marcus Smith, on with a single in the first. Smith stole second but was stranded there. After a pair of walks from Kirwin in the second, Keith Jones and Gleider Figuereo attempted a double steal. Jones easily took third, but Figuereo was tagged out at second. A strikeout again stranded a runner in scoring position for Hub City. Kirwin cleaned things up with a pair of one-two-three innings in the third and fourth.
Lopez surrendered two straight singles to begin the top of the fifth. A Hudson White flyout to the warning track in left allowed both Brooks Brannon and Marvin Alcantara to tag up, leaving a pair of Drive runners in scoring position with just one out. Lopez would strand them right there thanks to his seventh and eighth strikeouts of the game.
Hub City challenged Kirwin in the bottom half of the fifth. After a leadoff walk to Julian Brock, Figuereo slapped a single to advance Brock to third with nobody out. That signaled the end of the night for Kirwin. Eduardo Rivera entered from the bullpen and struck out the first two batters he faced. With Smith at the plate, the Spartanburgers again attempted a double steal. Nobody covered second base for Greenville, meaning the throw from catcher Hudson White allowed Brock to score while Figuereo slid into second safely. Smith flied out to left on the next pitch from Rivera.
Hub City leaned on bullpen arms Felix and Mollerus for easy innings in the sixth and the seventh. Clark managed to work around a pair of walks and strand two Drive baserunners. Despite strikeout dominance from Rivera and Isaac Stebens out of the Greenville bullpen, the Drive still needed a run heading to the ninth. Bormie struck out Nelly Taylor to begin the inning, but he walked Zach Ehrhard and allowed him to steal second. With the tying run in scoring position, Bormie struck out the final two batters of the night to secure the first shutout of the year for Hub City.
The Spartanburgers and Drive return to action tomorrow night at Fifth Third Park. Game two of the rivalry series brings the expected season debut for Spartanburgers righty Kolton Curtis (0-0, 0.00 ERA) against lefty Noah Dean (0-0, 4.91 ERA) for the Drive. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. ET.
About the Hub City Spartanburgers
The Hub City Spartanburgers, the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, embark on their inaugural season in April 2025. For more information on the Spartanburgers, visit milb.com/hub-city. For information about tickets to any of Hub City’s 66 home games, call 864-658-4206 or email: tickets@hcspartanburgers.com For media inquiries, email: iunsworth@hcspartanburgers.com. Follow along with the Spartanburgers on social media.
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