Tourists Split DH in Two Opposite Games

GREENVILLE- Friday night in Greenville both the Asheville Tourists and the Greenville Drive had something to cheer about. Asheville reeled off 11 unanswered runs, including their biggest run-scoring inning of the year on their way to an 11-3 drubbing of the Drive in Game One. In the second game, the Tourists offense never advanced a runner to second base and struck out 14 times in a 6-0 defeat.

Greenville used a three-run Home Run in the bottom of the first inning of Game One to build an early lead. Zach Cole hit a solo Home Run in the fourth and then was part of a back-to-back Home Run effort in the sixth with Ryan Clifford. Asheville exploded for eight runs in the top of the seventh to break open the tie game.

Freddy Guilamo led off the seventh with a go-ahead Home Run; Logan Cerny hit an RBI single; Cole and Tommy Sacco Jr. both worked bases-loaded walks; and Michael Sandle clobbered his second Grand Slam of the season. Nolan DeVos pitched three shutout innings to notch the win.

Game Two began on a low note when the Drive scored four runs, three unearned, in the first two innings. The unearned runs did not end up mattering. Asheville’s offense could not touch Greenville’s starting pitcher Angel Bastardo and were shutout for the sixth time this season.

The Drive right-hander pitched a complete-game shutout with 14 strikeouts, the most by an opposing pitcher this season, and no walks. He faced one over the minimum. It was only the fourth complete-game pitched by a SAL pitcher this year and the second time Bastardo has done it.

Both teams are back in action on Saturday night with the first pitch slated for 7:05pm ET.