RiverDogs Come Back to Defeat Drive, 5-4

Rei collects a pair of RBI hits for Greenville

June 29, 2016

Charleston, SC - Behind a three-run bottom of the eighth, the Charleston RiverDogs defeated the Greenville Drive 5-4 on Wednesday in the finale of an abbreviated series in Charleston.

The RiverDogs (2-4, 44-31) rally began with a leadoff single by Kyle Holder off Marc Brakeman, who was removed from the game for Trevor Kelley (0-2). Hoy Jun Park rudely greeted Kelley with a triple to right field to cut the Drive (3-3, 40-34) to one, and Jhalan Jackson delivered the big blow with a go-ahead, two-run homer to right-center.

The rally made a winner out of Charleston reliever Jose Mesa, Jr. (1-3) who struck out six over three scoreless innings. Andrew Schwaab closed things out in the ninth to notch his 15^th save.

The Drive took a 2-0 lead in the second inning against Luis Cedeno. Luis Alexander Basabe doubled to center with one out, and he came home on an RBI single by Austin Rei. Later in the frame, Jeremy Rivera added a run-scoring double.

Charleston answered in the bottom half with two runs of their own. A Drive error with two-outs prolonged the inning, and Nathan Mikolas made them pay by swatting a two-run homer off Logan Boyd to tie the game.

Boyd worked five innings and allowed just those two unearned runs while striking out three Charleston hitters.

In the top of the sixth, the Drive regained the lead. Tyler Spoon singled and Basabe doubled to put runners at second and third, and Rei delivered an RBI single to left to put the Drive ahead 3-2. Rivera also collected his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly two batters later.

Rei collected two hits and two RBI for Greenville, while Luis Alejandro and Luis Alexander Basabe, Derek Miller and Spoon all added two hits apiece.

The Drive return home on Thursday night to begin a four-game series with the Asheville Tourists, affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. First pitch for the series opener is at 7:05 PM. Right-hander Jose Almonte (2-1, 3.51) takes the mound for the Drive, and the Tourists will start right-hander Devin Burke (1-1, 4.50).