Hoppers fall to .500 with 11-3 loss to Drive

GREENSBORO ― Joe Davis hit his 15th home runs of the season, and Phil Sikes went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs to lead the Greenville Drive to an 11-3 victory over the Greensboro Grasshoppers at First National Bank Field on Thursday night.

The Hoppers (33-44 overall) made four errors in the game and surrendered five unearned runs, falling to 6-6 in the second half of the South Atlantic League season and a game out of first place in the North Division standings.

Designated hitter Dariel Lopez went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI to lead Greensboro’s offense, and Ernny Ordonez was 2-for-4 with an RBI single.

Mike Jarvis hit a solo home run down the left-field line, his second since joining the team over the weekend.

Starter Adrian Florencio (1-9) took the loss, giving up three unearned runs in the second inning.

NOTES

• Dariel Lopez hit his 11th double of the season. He has hit safely in 20 of his last 22 games, going 32-for-94 (.340) with five home runs, five doubles, 16 RBIs and 19 runs scored. He has 10 multi-hit games in that span.
• Catcher Endy Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with his 17th double of the season. He has hit safely in 22 of his last 26 games, going 27-for-78 (.346) with 10 doubles, three home runs, 18 RBIs and 14 runs scored. The versatile 22-year-old is rated by MLB Pipeline as Pittsburgh's No. 7 prospect, and he has played four positions ― catcher, first base, second base and left field ― this season.
• First baseman Jacob Gonzalez went 1-for-4, and he has reached base in 19 of his last 20 games. Since his promotion from Class-A Bradenton on May 10, Gonzalez has reached base in 36 of 42 games, with 13 multi-hit games. Gonzalez is 49-for-161 (.304) with seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and 21 RBIs.