Powell Homers Through Chaos, Tourists Win Thriller 6-5 in Front of Sellout Crowd

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Two ejections. Four errors. A 100th walk. A revenge home run. And fireworks both on and off the field.

Friday night at HomeTrust Park had everything, and the Tourists came out on the right side of it, beating the Rome Emperors 6-5 in front of a sellout crowd of 4,001 who stayed for the postgame fireworks but got their money's worth long before that.

Asheville starter Kellan Oakes retired the first eight batters he faced before the game unraveled, largely at the hands of his own defense. Asheville committed four errors on the night, three of them directly leading to Rome runs. A Freuddy Batista throw into the outfield after a pitch hit the home plate umpire scored a run in the third. A DJ Newman throw from left got past Batista at the plate to score another. A Neyens barehand attempt at third that sailed high allowed one more. Four errors, four unearned runs, and a Kellan Oakes line that looked far worse than it was.

The Tourists jumped out early. Justin Thomas Jr. walked and Xavier Neyens drew his 100th walk of the season, making the 19-year-old just the third player in all of baseball to reach that mark this year, before Caden Powell blooped a single to right to load the bases. Jack Moss delivered an RBI single to make it 1-0 before Rome had recorded an out.

Rome chipped away and surged in front on an Alex Lodise two-run homer in the fifth. 5-3 Emperors.

Then the bottom of the fifth happened.

Thomas Jr. drew a leadoff walk. Neyens stepped in and took a pitch well below the knees that home plate umpire Patrick McMorris called strike three. Neyens turned to say something and was ejected instantly. It set Neyens off, and as he was being held back, manager Nate Shaver raced in to confront McMorris for the quick trigger. Shaver was ejected too. Two ejections in the blink of an eye, and the Tourists were without their top prospect and their manager.

When the smoke cleared, Powell stepped into the box. He lofted a ball toward the highest part of the right field wall and it cleared for a two-run home run. The sellout crowd erupted. It was the perfect response to a chaotic few minutes, and it tied the game at five.

Kyle Walker delivered the go-ahead blow in the sixth. He hadn't homered since June, but he got a fastball and drove it over the left field wall for a solo shot. 6-5 Asheville.

Jackson Wells loaded the bases in the seventh before striking out Dallas Macias to end the threat. Colby Langford closed it out in the ninth with two strikeouts, including one to end the game, for his fourth save of the season.

Moss went 2-for-4 for his third multi-hit game in this series, going 7-for-12 overall. Powell went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs in the wildest at bat of the night.

Both Greenville and Winston-Salem won Friday, keeping Asheville two games out of a playoff spot. The Tourists and Emperors meet again Saturday night at HomeTrust Park. Parker Smith takes the ball for Asheville against Rome's Aiven Cabral. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.