Drive blanked by Hot Rods, 2-0 in pitcher’s duel

As the game wore on, the more it seemed the Greenville Drive (33-23, 59-63) had a chance to swipe a game from the division-leading Bowling Green Hot Rods (35-18, 71-4 ), but the moment never materialized in an outright pitcher’s duel.

The Drive were blanked by the Hot Rods Wednesday night, 2-0 as starter Blake Wehunt tossed five innings allowing one run on one hit and two walks with strikeouts to lead a Drive pitching staff that held the Hot Rods to one-hit in the loss. The lone hit came in the leadoff spot in the opening frame, meaning the Drive held the Hot Rods hitless over the next 27 outs.

The loss dropped the Drive to 3.5 games out of the final playoff spot in the South Atlantic League South Division, setting up four must-win games the rest of the series if the Drive hope to return to Fluor Field with the playoff push in their control.

Max Carlson picked up where Wehunt left off, holding the Hot Rods hitless in two frames, though he allowed two walks and a run. Zach Fogell tossed the final frame, picking up a strikeout in a perfect inning of relief.

On the flipside, first baseman Bryan Gonzalez and right fielder Will Turner picked up a hit apiece; the only hits the Drive picked up on the night. Hot Rods starter Ty Johnson spun six one-hit frames while amassing a career-high 11 strikeouts to stifle the Drive.

The only member of the Drive to avoid striking out would be Miguel Ugueto, who pinch-hit for Juan Chacon in the fifth and remained in the game in left field defensively. Justin Riemer, Nelly Taylor, Gonzalez, Turner, and Juan Montero each struck out twice while Miguel Bleis struck out four times. In all, the Drive lineup struck out 17 times on the night.

Bowling Green opened up the 1-0 lead in the first as Wehunt allowed a leadoff single, tossed a wild pitch and walked Homer Bush Jr while Gregory Barrios swiped third to put runners on the corners. A sac-fly from Cooper Kinney put the Hot Rods ultimately ahead for good.

Turner picked up the first hit of the game for the Drive to leadoff the fifth, eventually getting to second on a one-out sac-bunt from Hudson White, though Ahbram Liendo struck out swinging to avoid any damage.

Gonzalez chipped in his single in the seventh with one away before making it all the way to third on a botched pickoff attempt from reliever Derrick Edington. But Turner struckout and Ugueto grounded out to quell the Drive’s best scoring chance of the night.

Carlson walked Brock Jones and Tatem Levins with one away in the seventh before Jones scampered to third to swipe the bag and put runners on the corners. Hunter Haas’ groundout was enough to boost the lead to 2-0 as Jones scored.

The Drive went down in order in the eighth and ninth, striking out four times in six at-bats.

The Drive return to action on Thursday, August 28th at 7:35 p.m. for game three of a six-game series with the division-leading Bowling Green Hot Rods. The Drive are currently 3.5 games back of first-place Bowling Green, as the Hot Rods lead the series, 2-0.

The back and forth action finally broke one way in the bottom of the sixth. Piggyback reliever Noah Dean struggled on the mound walking the first four batters he faced and relinquishing a single to put Bowling Green up 6-4. After his fifth walk of the frame made it 7-4, Dean was pulled for Cooper Adams who allowed a sac-fly and a triple boosting the Hot Rods’ lead to 9-4.

Adams ultimately finished the night allowing the lone hit with one walk and three strikeouts.

The Drive return to action on Wednesday, August 28th for game two of a six-game series with the division-leading Bowling Green Hot Rods. The Drive are currently 2.5 games back of first place Bowling Green, as the Hot Rods lead the series, 1-0.