Nick Gonzales' 2 home runs lift Hoppers to series split

GREENSBORO ― Top prospect Nick Gonzales hit two home runs including a game-breaking grand slam in the sixth inning, and the Greensboro Grasshoppers beat the Hickory Crawdads 8-7 on Sunday afternoon at First National Bank Field.

Gonzales, a 22-year-old second baseman rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 1 prospect in Pittsburgh's farm system, went 3-for-3 with a grand slam, a solo home run and a double. He scored three runs and drove in five, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances Sunday with two walks as well.

"He picked a great day to carry us offensively. He put us on his back today," Hoppers manager Kieran Mattison said. "Everybody did their part, but Nick came up big. ... It was like Muhammad Ali and the 'Rumble in the Jungle.' Hickory kept giving us their best punch, but Gonzales knocked them out with that grand slam."

The Hoppers needed all that offense from Gonzales, as they nearly ran out of healthy position players.

Liover Peguero, a shortstop MLB Pipeline rates as the Pirates' No. 4 prospect, left the game in the fifth inning. Peguero, who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and walked his first two times at bat, was waiting on deck during a Hickory pitching change when he became light-headed and dizzy. Team trainer Victor Silva and a teammate helped Peguero back to the clubhouse to treat him for heat-related illness.

"It was heat exhaustion," Mattison said. "I'm glad we took him out when we did because that very easily could've happened when he was in the batter's box, and that could've been disastrous. We were lucky it happened during a mound visit like that. Peggy's doing better. Vic took him back in the clubhouse to get him hydrated, get some fluids in him. It was 15 degrees warmer out there today than it has been the rest of the week"

Third baseman Jared Triolo also left early, coming out after hitting a line-drive single to left field in the first inning. Triolo called for a trainer after reaching first base.

"He had back spasms early in the week during his work day," Mattison said. "He went inside with the trainer, got it worked out and was able to play that night. He's been feeling great since then, but it locked up on him out there today when he was running. Something like that can be pretty random."

Greensboro was already without injured outfielders Matt Gorski (left leg) and Chase Murray (left arm in a sling).

So when infielder Andres Alvarez came in for Triolo, and Aaron Shackelford moved from designated hitter to the infield for Peguero, the Hoppers were forced to give up the DH. Three pitchers batted in the game: Michell Miliano, J.C. Flowers (who was a center fielder at Florida State and pinch-hit for Miliano) and Colin Selby all struck out in their at-bats.

Even so, the Hoppers produced enough offense to salvage a 3-3 series split with the new-look Crawdads.

Lolo Sanchez went 2-for-4, Blake Sabol tripled and scored, and Will Matthiessen hit an RBI single for Greensboro.

"It's been a weird series, man. We've been just trying to survive," Mattison said. "But it was a big series, too. They came in much improved, and their roster was a lot stronger after (Texas made) some trades. For us, we had injuries and scuffled, but we still found a way to tie the series."

Miliano (1-0, 4.26 ERA) picked up the win, allowing one run and striking out three in two innings in relief of starter Tahnaj Thomas. Selby pitched the final three innings to earn his third save.

The Hoppers get a badly-needed day off Monday before a six-game series at Winston-Salem, the finish of "The Battle of I-40" season series. Greensboro leads Winston-Salem 11-7 in season series of this renewed rivalry. It's the first time teams from the neighboring cities have played in the same league since 1968.

Notes

• By salvaging the split with Hickory, the Grasshoppers have now won or split all 14 of their six-game series this season.
• Greensboro (52-32) remains in second place, seven games behind Bowling Green (59-25) in the High-A East's South Division. The top two teams in the league ― regardless of division ― qualify for the championship series. The Grasshoppers trail North Division leader Hudson Valley (53-31) by one game in the playoff chase. The Hoppers and Renegades play 12 head-to-head games in the final 20 days of the season.
• Greensboro has won 11 of its last 16 games and is 24-10 since July 1.
• Hoppers third baseman Jared Triolo went 1-for-1 before leaving with back spasms. Triolo has hit safely in 27 of his last 29 games, batting .361 (44-for-122) with seven doubles, five home runs, 28 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in that span. He ranks fourth in the High-A East with 59 RBIs, and he has raised his batting average from .237 on June 1 to .301 through Aug. 8, third-best in the league among players with enough plate appearances to qualify.
• Hoppers outfielder Matt Gorski, who left Friday's game with a left leg injury and sat out the weekend, is on a nine-game hitting streak, going 11-for-30 (.367) with three home runs, three doubless and eight runs scored during the streak.
• Lefty-hitting Blake Sabol, a catcher who played left field the last two days, has hit safely in 15 of his last 18 games, going 24-for-65 (.369) with five home runs, five doubles and a triple during that span.
• Nick Gonzales, who was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft, has batted .328 (21-for-64) with four home runs and four doubles in his last 15 games, raising his season batting average to .270