Dash slash Drive, 12-5 in Tuesday opener

The Greenville Drive (15-19) failed to take advantage of a tough outing from Winston-Salem Dash (16-18) starter Tanner McDougal, burning a bases loaded opportunity in the first inning, en route to a 11-4 Dash thumping of the Drive on Tuesday.

Kristian Campbell knocked his sixth big fly of the season for the Drive in the eighth while Tyler Miller added a two-RBI base knock in the seventh as the Drive picked up 13 hits on the night. But despite the season high hit total and late runs, it was too little too late for Greenville.

Ultimately the Drive would go 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position and leave 15 runners on base.

The Dash picked up runs in all but two of the nine innings on the night, scoring multiple runs in the second, sixth, and eighth, squashing any hopes the Drive had of building momentum.

After a three-up, three-down first inning, starter Hayden Mullins picked up a strikeout in the second before allowing a walk, single, and a Wes Kath three-run homer to vault the Dash to a 3-1 lead. Mullins would allow one more run in the third on a Calvin Harris sac-fly to right field before exiting after four innings, allowing three hits, and two walks while striking out seven.

Miguel Ugueto knocked an RBI-single in the fourth to cut the lead to 4-2 but it’d be the closest the Drive would get the rest of the night.

The Dash feasted on Drive relievers, knocking a run off Nathan Landry in the fifth on a Bryce Willits RBI-single.

Isaac Stebens secured a clutch bases loaded save in his last outing, picking up two strikeouts to preserve a 1-0 Drive victory over Hickory, but this night would not be as kind.

The Dash struck for four runs off Stebens on three hits over two innings of work. Mario Camillettie doubled, Jordan Sprinkle walked, and Eddie Park reached on a fielding error by Miller to put the Dash up 6-2. Jacob Gonzalez added a sac-fly and Shawn Goosenberg doubled to make it 8-2. Samuel Zavala would round out the scoring on Stebens with his third home run of the season in the seventh.

After Miller’s RBIs in the bottom of the seventh, the Dash responded with two runs in the eighth off reliever Cade Feeney. Bryce Willits chipped in a sac-fly and Harris smacked an RBI-single to put the Dash up 11-4. Feeney would finish the night tossing two innings, allowing four runs on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

Campbell added his homer in the bottom half of the eighth but again the Dash responded in the ninth, as Park doubled home Sprinkle to round out the scoring,12-5.

The Greenville Drive return to action Wednesday, May 15th for game two of the six-game series with Winston-Salem. The Dash lead the series, 1-0.