Grasshoppers Pull Away in 11th After Drive’s Dramatic Ninth-Inning Rally

Grasshoppers Pull Away in 11th After Drive’s Dramatic Ninth-Inning Rally

GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Greenville Drive erased a three-run deficit in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the ninth, but Greensboro answered in each of the final two extra innings to hand Greenville a 9-5 loss on Opening Day Thursday night at Fluor Field at the West End.

In front of 5,080 fans on a warm, partly cloudy evening, the Drive dropped their season opener to the Grasshoppers despite a late rally that briefly swung momentum back toward the home dugout.

Greensboro struck first in the top of the third against Drive starter Juan Valera (#5 Red Sox Prospect). After Wyatt Sanford drew a walk and swiped second, Yordany De Los Santos launched a two-run homer to left-center on a 3-1 pitch to give the Grasshoppers a 2-0 lead.

That early swing proved to be the difference for much of the night as Greensboro starter Carlos Castillo and the Grasshoppers bullpen kept Greenville quiet through the first eight innings. Castillo worked five scoreless frames, allowing four hits while striking out four, and Greenville repeatedly came up just short of a breakthrough.

The Drive’s first real chance came in the third, when Adonys Guzman and Yophery Rodriguez opened the inning with back-to-back singles. But Greensboro escaped when Justin Gonzales struck out looking, Yoeilin Cespedes went down swinging and Gerardo Rodriguez struck out to end the threat.

An inning later, Greenville again put pressure on the Grasshoppers. Jack Winnay singled to open the fourth and Isaiah Jackson followed with a base hit to left, but Winnay was thrown out trying to take third on the play. Jackson later moved to third with one out, only for Greensboro to strand him there and preserve the 2-0 advantage.

While Greenville struggled to cash in, the Drive pitching staff kept the game within reach for much of the night. Valera struck out seven over 3.1 innings in his season debut, allowing two runs on two hits. Joey Gartrell followed with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, helping settle the game after Greensboro’s early punch. The Drive staff struck out 16 Grasshoppers in the contest.

The Grasshoppers added an important insurance run in the seventh. Jhonny Severino singled, stole second and came home two batters later when De Los Santos ripped a single through the left side to make it 3-0. Steven Brooks limited further damage in the inning, but Greensboro had extended its cushion.

That score held until the bottom of the ninth, when Greenville finally broke through in emphatic fashion.

Winnay started the inning with a single to shallow left, and Jackson reached on a fielder’s choice when Greensboro failed to record an out on a misplay by second baseman De Los Santos. After Mason White lined out, Freili Encarnacion stepped in and delivered the biggest swing of the night for the Drive, crushing a first-pitch, three-run homer to right-center field that suddenly tied the game at 3-3 and sent the Fluor Field crowd into a frenzy.

Encarnacion’s blast, Greenville’s first home run of the season, erased eight innings of frustration in one swing and gave the Drive new life heading into extra innings.

Under the extra-inning tiebreaker, Greensboro regained the lead immediately in the 10th. De Los Santos began the inning at second, stole third after a strikeout, and scored on Jared Jones’ RBI single to left for a 4-3 Grasshoppers edge.

But once again, Greenville had an answer.

Justin Gonzales opened the bottom of the 10th as the automatic runner at second and moved to third on a groundout by Cespedes. He then scored without a hit when Greensboro reliever Alexis Torres was called for a balk, tying the game at 4-4. Torres recovered to retire the next two hitters, sending the game to the 11th.

That was where Greensboro finally broke it open.

With Lonnie White Jr. starting the inning at second, Brian Sanchez was hit by a pitch and Shalin Polanco walked to load the bases with one out. After a pitching change, Severino punched a two-run single through the left side to score White and Sanchez and put Greensboro back in front. Sanford was then hit by a pitch to reload the bases before De Los Santos struck out for the second out of the inning.

Greenville was one pitch away from escaping further damage, but Tony Blanco Jr. delivered the decisive blow, driving a bases-clearing double to right-center that plated three more runs and stretched the Grasshoppers’ lead to 9-4.

The Drive scratched one run back in the bottom of the 11th when Winnay, the automatic runner, advanced to third on a balk and scored on Jackson’s groundout, but Greenville could get no closer.

De Los Santos was the catalyst all night for Greensboro, finishing 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs, two runs scored and three stolen bases. Blanco added two hits, including the back-breaking 11th-inning double, and drove in three. Severino also starred, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

For Greenville, Winnay turned in a strong opener, going 2-for-5 and scoring twice, while Encarnacion provided the headline moment with his game-tying three-run homer and three RBIs. Cespedes doubled, Guzman and Yophery Rodriguez each added hits, and Jackson drove in the Drive’s final run in the 11th.

Jay Allmer was charged with the loss after Greensboro’s go-ahead run in the 10th and early trouble in the 11th. P.J. Labriola inherited a difficult spot in the 11th and was tagged for three inherited runners that all scored.

Despite the final result, the Drive showed late fight after being held scoreless through eight innings. Greenville put the tying run on the board in the ninth with one swing, answered again in the 10th, and forced Greensboro to earn every out before the Grasshoppers finally pulled away.

Opening Night ultimately belonged to Greensboro, but the Drive’s late rally gave Fluor Field a reminder of how quickly momentum can shift — and how close Greenville came to turning an opening loss into an unforgettable comeback.