Grasshoppers come back to defeat Drive 11-9
GREENSBORO (Greenville Drive) — The Greenville Drive piled up 15 hits and mounted a late rally Tuesday night, but a pair of big innings by the Greensboro Grasshoppers proved too much to overcome in an 11-9 loss in the opener of a six-game series at First National Bank Field. Greenville (13-15) led 5-3 after four innings and brought the potential tying run to the plate in each of the final two frames, but Greensboro (17-11) used a five-run fourth and a three-run sixth to take control. Isaiah Jackson paced the Drive offense with a four-hit night, finishing 4-for-5 with three RBI, a run scored and a stolen base.
Yoeilin Cespedes added three hits, Henry Godbout homered, scored three times and drove in two, and Freili Encarnacion went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. The Drive opened the scoring in the second against Greensboro starter Hung-Leng Chang. Jackson singled to center, stole second and moved to third on Mason White’s double to shallow right.
Encarnacion followed with an RBI groundout to give Greenville a 1-0 lead. Greensboro answered immediately in the bottom half when Tony Blanco Jr. drove a solo homer to right-center field off Alex Bouchard, tying the game at 1-1.
Greenville moved back in front in the third with a four-hit inning. Godbout singled up the middle, Cespedes followed with a single to shallow center and Gerardo Rodriguez loaded the bases with a single to left-center. Jack Winnay brought home Godbout with a sacrifice fly, and Jackson followed with an RBI single to right-center to score Cespedes and put the Drive ahead 3-1.
The Grasshoppers pulled even in the bottom of the third after Matt King reached on a throwing error, Wyatt Sanford singled and Edward Florentino delivered an RBI single to right. Easton Carmichael then grounded out to short, scoring Sanford to tie the game at 3-3. Godbout gave the Drive the lead again in the fourth.
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