Down to Their Final Out, Tourists Steal 7-4 Win

GREENVILLE, S.C. — It looked bleak. Two strikes, two outs, down two in the top of the ninth. With their backs against the wall, the Tourists strung together gritty at bats to stay alive.

A two-out, bases-clearing double from Justin Thomas Jr. capped a five-run ninth inning and gave Asheville a stunning 7-4 win over the Greenville Drive Friday night.

Parker Smith was sharp again in his start, punching out six over 4.2 innings and keeping Asheville within striking distance. But Kyson Witherspoon was on another level for Greenville, going six innings with seven strikeouts and allowing just one run. The Tourists had no answer for him until he was gone.

It was scoreless until the fourth. An Antonio Anderson single scored a run, and Hudson White followed with a deep sacrifice fly to left to make it 2-0 Greenville. Zach Daudet singled to score Asheville's only run against Witherspoon in the fifth to cut it to 2-1.

Garrett Apker came in and was punished immediately in the sixth. Ronny Hernandez got a fastball over the heart of the plate and crushed it into the trees in right-center for a solo shot. Antonio Anderson stepped in right after, got the same offering, and lofted a wall-scraper to dead center. Back-to-back home runs, and suddenly it was 4-1 Greenville.

Francisco Frias entered and was outstanding, tossing three hitless and scoreless innings while walking two and striking out two to keep the Tourists alive long enough for the offense to wake up.

Caden Powell lit a spark in the eighth, demolishing a solo shot off the apartment building behind left-center to make it 4-2. But Greenville closer Steven Brooks came on in the ninth with a two-run lead and struck out Chase Call to begin the inning.

Then everything changed.

Marcus Brown, acquired earlier in the week from the Washington Nationals system, singled. Nunez followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Cesar Hernandez took strike three looking, and Asheville was down to its final out.

Daudet worked a nine-pitch at bat, fouling off four pitches in a row before drawing a walk to load the bases. Then John Garcia stepped in, battled to a full count, and took a fastball off the chin on the sixth pitch. He fell to the ground, was looked at by the training staff, massaged his jaw, and got back up to hustle to first. The hit by pitch scored a run. 4-3 Greenville, bases still loaded, two outs.

Then Justin Thomas Jr. stepped to the plate. He roped a ball to right field that Isaiah Jackson dove for and couldn't reach. It rolled into the corner and cleared the bases. Just like that it was 6-4 Asheville. A wild pitch and a Powell RBI single later, it was 7-4. Frias retired the Drive in the bottom of the ninth to earn his second win of the season.

Powell was excellent all night, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, and a walk. Thomas Jr. was the hero, finishing 2-for-5 with three RBIs on the pivotal double.

Asheville improves to 3-4 in the second half and sits in an early three-way tie for third in the Southern Division of the South Atlantic League. The Tourists and Drive meet again Saturday night at Fluor Field. Nolan Devos takes the ball for Asheville. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m.