Coffey, Campbell, Castro, all homer for Drive en route to 12-7 victory in Asheville

Cutter Coffey, Kristian Campbell, and Allan Castro all homered for the Greenville Drive in Asheville on Tuesday en route to a 12-7 victory over the Tourists at McCormick Field as the Drive battered Asheville for 13 hits.

The Drive’s sudden offensive outburst was pivotal in the middle innings as it erased a 5-1 deficit with eight runs combined across the fourth, fifth, and sixth, turning around an ugly start to the game. Much of the damage done by the Drive would come with two outs in their halves of the innings as five Drive players recorded six two-out RBI on the night.

Of the middle innings, the fifth proved decisive as the Drive scored four. Abraham Liendo, smacked a two-out single to right field, scoring Ronald Rosario and putting Luis Ravelo on third. Liendo’s steal of second base during the ensuing at-bat caused a throwing error from catcher John Garcia, plating Ravelo to tie the game at 6-6. Miguel Ugueto followed up with a double into left to score Liendo and ending Tourists starter Nic Swanson’s night.

Eduardo Lopez would reach on a throwing error from first baseman Collin Price allowing Ugueto to score and put the Drive up 8-6.

Greenville tacked on two more in the sixth as Campbell singled, Castro was hit by a pitch, a wild pitch caused them to move up 90 feet, a Ronald Rosario groundout RBI, and a Ravelo sac-fly put the Drive ahead 10-6. Asheville added their final run in their half of the sixth on a Jeron Williams RBI-double, but 10-7 would be the closest the Tourists would get the rest of the night.

The game seemed destined to go for the Tourists in the early going as Asheivlle exploded for five runs in their leadoff frame, battering spot starter Cooper Adams. Adams would ultimately finish the night allowing six runs on six hits though only two of the six runs would be earned. He’d strike out three and give up a homer.

After Castro notched a two-out homer in the first (his first of the season), the Tourists would answer in kind with the big inning. With one out, Garcia and Narbe Cruz knocked RBI-singles, Jeron Williams tapped a sac-fly and Luis Encarnacion doubled to score two to put the Tourists up 5-1.

Greenville would start to shift the tide toward battering starter Swanson. With two outs in the second, Ugueto doubled, Lopez singled, Coffey reached after being hit by a pitch and Campbell walked to cut the lead to 5-2.

After a scoreless third, the Drive mounted their barrage in the fourth. With two away and Liendo on second, Cutter Coffey knocked his second homer in three games to cut the lead to 5-4. The Drive would then finish the barrage off in the fifth and sixth.

While the Drive reclaimed the lead, reliever Gabriel Jackson turned in his most complete effort of the season as he worked 4.0 IP allowing just three hits, one run, walking none and striking out two.

Campbell and Rosario would bring in the last two Drive runs as Campbell smacked his second homer of the season to center field and Rosario tripled to plate Castro to make it 12-7 as Castro doubled in the at-bat prior.

Cade Feeney shut the door in the ninth for the Drive, allowing one hit while picking up a strikeout in the lone inning of work, preserving the Drive’s 12-7 victory.

Notably, Rosario and Ugueto picked up three hits on the night while Campbell and Castro each picked up two. Coffey, Campbell, and Rosario would each turn in two-RBI performances at the plate as well.

The Greenville Drive return to action May 1 at 11:00 a.m. at McCormick Field for game two of the six-game series with Asheville. The Drive lead the series, 1-0.