Drive Cap Wild Eclipse Game with Walkoff Win

Greenville, SC - The 6,636 fans who gathered at Fluor Field to view Monday's solar eclipse were given the added bonus of a wild game in Downtown Greenville. When the dust settled, the Drive collected their 10^th walkoff win of the season in an 8-7 victory over the West Virginia Power.
The ninth-inning rally began with a Santiago Espinal single and a Brett Netzer sacrifice bunt. Following a West Virginia (30-27, 60-63) pitching change, Roldani Baldwin lined a single into right field to move Espinal to third. The throw home from right field bounced away from the plate, and Espinal dashed home with the winning run to set off a Drive (29-28, 70-56) celebration.
Monday's game included a 22-minute delay for the total eclipse, a benches-clearing scuffle with multiple ejections, and a back-and-forth affair from the start.
The action began in the top of the first when Yoel Gonzalez belted a three-run homer off Darwinzon Hernandez to put the Power up 3-0. Brent Gibbs added a solo shot in the fourth to extend the lead.
The Drive offense came alive following the eclipse delay in the bottom of the fifth, starting a six-run rally with two outs. Baldwin smacked a two-run double off the Green Monster, and he came home on a double by Bobby Dalbec. After a hit-by-pitch put another runner on, Ryan Scott cranked a three-run homer to right, his 11^th of the season, to put the Drive ahead 6-4.
Netzer's sacrifice fly in the sixth tacked on another run.
Some fireworks occurred in the seventh after a leadoff home run by West Virginia's Victor Fernandez. The next Power player was hit by a pitch, and the benches cleared. Following a long deliberation by the umpires, Drive pitcher Daniel Gonzalez and manager Darren Fenster were ejected, along with Fernandez.
The Power then tied the game in the top of the ninth on a solo homer by Ryan Nagle and a sacrifice fly by Adrian Valerio prior to the Drive's walkoff.
Hunter Smith (3-3) got the win for the Drive in relief, while Dylan Prohoroff (2-2) was saddled with the loss for West Virginia.
Espinal reached base four times for Greenville on Monday, via two hits and two walks. Baldwin added two hits and two RBI, and Dalbec collected two hits as well. Andrew Walker went 2-3 to lead the Power.
The homestand continues on Tuesday night at 7:05 as the Drive begin a three-game series with the Columbia Fireflies, an affiliate of the New York Mets. Left-hander Jay Groome (3-6, 6.53) takes the ball in the opener for the Drive, and the Fireflies will send left-hander Jose Carlos Medina (0-0, 0.00) to the mound.
­~Greenville Drive~

[Empty Body]