Lopez ground-rule double secures series split with Asheville; Drive win 4-3

Paulino homers, Encarnacion goes five innings with five strikeouts

Eduardo Lopez, riding a seven-game hitless streak finally broke through for the Drive, slicing a fly ball to left, that bounced off the warning track and into the berm at Fluor Filed for a ground-ruled double, plating what would ultimately be the winning run for the Greenville Drive (3-5) as they earned a series split with the Asheville Tourists (3-4). Juan Daniel Encarnacion turned in a solid five innings on the bump, holding Tourists batters to just one run in his five innings of work.

Eddinson Paulino led off the Drive half of the first, taking the first pitch he saw to deep right field for his first homerun of the year giving the Drive the early 1-0 lead. The Drive struck again in the second, as Max Ferguson legged out a double and advanced to third on fly out by Eduardo Lopez. Two batters later, catcher Alex Erro slapped a soft liner to left field, scoring Ferguson and boosting the lead to 2-0.

The Tourists would get their only run off Encarnacion in the third inning when a Zach Dezenzo single plated Drew Gilbert from third.Encarnacion would exit the game having thrown five innings giving up one earned run on four hits while adding five strikeouts and one walk.

Casey Cobb relieved Encarnacion, mowing down two of his three batters on strikeouts and forcing a weak pop-up for the third out.

Marcelo Mayer walked to start the sixth, Blaze Jordan followed up with a single that moved Mayer to third and a wild pitch would score him two batters later while also moving Jordan to second making it 3-1. Lopez would then take care of the rest on his ground ruled double putting the Drive up 4-1, as Jordan crossed the plate.

Asheville added a home run off the bat of Tim Borden II in the seventh but Cobb would hold the Tourists to just that solitary run in the inning. Cobb finished the day going for two innings with three strikeouts and the lone run given up.

Aaron Perry came on in relief in the eighth, struggling from the start as Asheville batters strung together a double, a grounder into a fielder’s choice, and a double to pull within one, 4-3. But Perry would force a ground out with two outs, holding the lead at 4-3. Perry finished the afternoon with relinquishing one run on two hits and an one earned run.

In the top of the ninth, with the opportunity to secure a series split, closer Jaret Godman mowed down the first two batters on strikes and forced a weak chop to second baseman Chase Meidroth, whose toss to first secured the victory for Greenville, 4-3.

The Drive open a six game road series with the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pittsburgh Pirates) on Tuesday, April 18 at First National Bank Field in Greensboro, NC. The Drive return to Fluor Field for six-game homestand with the Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees) on April 25.