Greenville Pitching Proves Too Much Before Late Tourists Rally

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Greenville (20-29) slammed the door on Asheville's (11-39) two-game winning streak Sunday afternoon, taking the series finale 5-3 and the overall series four games to two. It was a complete performance from the Drive. Sharp pitching, lockdown defense, and just enough offense to hold off a late Tourists rally.

Kyson Witherspoon was the story on the mound. The Boston Red Sox's first-round pick in the 2025 draft was dominant through five innings, allowing no runs on three hits while walking three and striking out four. Asheville had chances. The Tourists loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but Witherspoon got Chase Call to ground out to third to end the threat and never looked back.

The Tourists also ran themselves into three early outs on the basepaths. Catcher Gerardo Rodriguez gunned down two would-be base stealers, and Witherspoon picked off Ethan Frey between first and second to erase another. For a Greenville defense that committed seven errors in the previous two games, Sunday was a complete reversal.

Dylan Howard took the ball for Asheville and was taken deep on his very first pitch. Justin Gonzales launched it off the apartment building wall beyond left field to put Greenville up 1-0 before Howard had found his footing. He settled in after that, pitching five solid innings and allowing just two runs total.

The Drive extended the lead in the fourth. A Hudson White sacrifice fly to center scored Jack Winnay from third after the throw home came in up the line. 2-0 Greenville.

Bryce Collins made his Tourists debut in the sixth and was greeted by a Winnay solo home run that pushed the lead to 3-0.

Asheville responded in the seventh with one of its most electric innings of the series. Alejandro Nunez singled to right to start things off. John Garcia followed with a double off the wall in right to score Nunez, then stole third and came home on a Zach Daudet groundout. Just like that it was 3-2. Then Mason Lytle stepped in and crushed a monster solo home run to dead center, his first as a Tourist, to tie the game at 3-3. Three batters, three runs, all against Calvin Bickerstaff.

But Greenville answered immediately. Jordan Carr took over for Asheville in the eighth and surrendered back-to-back solo home runs. First from Isaiah Jackson, then from Winnay again to put the Drive back in front 5-3 for good.

Asheville got Kyle Walker to third base with one out in the ninth after his leadoff single, but couldn't push him across to close the gap.

John Garcia was one of Asheville's few consistent bright spots, going 2-for-4 to give him five hits over his last three games with four RBIs in that span including one Sunday.

The Tourists drop the series four games to two and fall to 11-39. Greenville improves to 20-29. Asheville now heads home for the first time since May 17th, opening a six-game homestand against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on June 2nd at HomeTrust Park.