Drive hold on to down Hickory 4-3; pick up consecutive series wins
Drew Erhard and Ahbram Liendo’s RBI-knocks in the seventh provided pivotal runs and broke a 1-1 deadlock as the Greenville Drive (15-18) downed the Hickory Crawdads (12-20), 4-3 in the Sunday finale to take their second consecutive series victory. Drive starter Cooper Adams picked up two double-plays in the early
Drew Erhard and Ahbram Liendo’s RBI-knocks in the seventh provided pivotal runs and broke a 1-1 deadlock as the Greenville Drive (15-18) downed the Hickory Crawdads (12-20), 4-3 in the Sunday finale to take their second consecutive series victory.
Drive starter Cooper Adams picked up two double-plays in the early going including a 5-3 double play with the bases loaded courtesy of Tyler Miller who stepped on the third base bag and flipped a liner across the diamond in time.
Miller, a pull hitter by trade, lifted the fourth pitch of his first at-bat off the bricks behind the Greenville Green Monster for his fourth homer of the year as he led off the inning after his double-play to put the Drive in front 1-0.
Adams would record five innings for Greenville, allowing four hits, and one run while walking to and ringing up one. Marco Soto’s RBI-double in the fifth knotted the game at 1-1.
Reidis Sena held down a hitless sixth and the seventh for the Drive, ringing up three and issuing a walk. His efforts would pay off for Greenville as the Drive found a groove at the plate after Hickory starter Aidan Curry exited in favor of reliever Josh Gessner. Sena finished the day allowing just a hit while striking out four.
Bryan Gonzalez knocked a leadoff single, and designated hitter Drew Ehrhard slapped a double to the left-centerfield gap to put the Drive up 2-0. Abraham Liendo followed up with a RBI-single, as Ehrhard slid in before the tag to boost the lead to 3-1.
After Liendo advanced to third on a Chacon groundout, he’d cross the plate on a balk from Gessner for the 4-1 lead.
Things would get dicey in the ninth for the Drive as Caleb Bolden entered the contest looking to secure his fifth save of the season. He’d allow back-to-back walks and three straight singles in in consecutive at-bats allowing Hickory to cut the lead to 4-3.
But he’d pick up a double-play and a long fly ball out to secure the Drive’s second consecutive series victory.
The Greenville Drive return to action Tuesday, May 14th for the second half of a 12-game homestand at Fluor Field, taking on the Winston-Salem Dash, affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. First pitch for game one is slated for 7:05 p.m.