Tourists Rally in Extras for Third Straight Win, 11-9

GREENVILLE, S.C. — For the second straight night, Asheville needed a late-game miracle. For the second straight night, they got one.

Cesar Hernandez tied the game with a two-run shot to the deepest part of the park in the top of the ninth, and the Tourists surged for four runs in the tenth inning to beat the Greenville Drive 11-9 Saturday night. It was Asheville's third consecutive win and fifth in their last seven games.

Nehomar Ochoa Jr. set the tone early, launching a two-run home run in the top of the first to put the Tourists up 2-0 before Greenville had recorded an out. Ochoa Jr. added an RBI single in the third, and Marcus Brown followed with an RBI double to push the lead to 4-1. Justin Thomas Jr. singled home another in the fourth to make it 5-1.

Nolan Devos was steady on the mound, punching out seven over five innings and allowing just two earned runs. Luke Heyman kept chipping away for Greenville, hitting his third home run of the series in the fourth and adding an RBI single in the fifth to cut the deficit to 5-3.

Then Colby Langford ran into trouble in the sixth. A wild pitch scored a runner, and Antonio Anderson followed with a two-run blast to left to give Greenville its first lead of the day at 6-5. Mason White added an insurance run in the seventh on a single, but was thrown out by a speedy relay from center to end the inning. 7-5 Greenville.

Danny Kirwin came on to close it out for Greenville in the ninth and got the first two outs. Then Hernandez stepped in and launched a ball just past the 420-foot sign in right-center, the deepest part of Fluor Field, for a two-run home run to tie the game at seven. Michael Cuevas retired the Drive in the bottom of the ninth and it was on to extras.

The tenth inning belonged entirely to Asheville. With Jack Moss as the automatic runner on second, Freuddy Batista launched his first home run in a month deep into the night sky to put the Tourists up 9-7. Kyle Walker stepped in right behind him and drilled his third home run of the season over the Green Monster for a solo shot. 10-7. Marcus Brown capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to score Thomas Jr. 11-7.

Asheville needed every one of those runs. Cuevas, who had allowed just one earned run in his previous 11 innings over six appearances, put some traffic on the basepaths in the bottom of the tenth. A passed ball off catcher Batista scored a run. Yophery Rodriguez followed with a solo shot to right-center to make it 11-9. Manager Nate Shaver called on Bryce Collins, who got the final two outs to end the game.

Brown had his best game as a Tourist, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Ochoa Jr. finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs. The Tourists piled up a series-high 17 hits on the night.

Asheville improves to 4-4 in the second half. The two teams wrap up the series Sunday afternoon at Fluor Field. Dylan Howard takes the ball for Asheville. First pitch is set for 3:05 p.m.