Castro homers twice, Ugueto knocks four RBI as Drive defeat Tourist 12-7

The Greenville Drive (6-5, 32-45) compiled a season-high 18 hits on the night including two homers from Allan Castro and four RBI from Miguel Ugueto as the Drive downed the Asheville Tourists (5-5, 33-41) 12-7 to pick up back-to-back wins at McCormick Field.

Castro’s two-homer night marked the first multi-homer game in his professional career and the first time he’s homered in back-to-back games since joining the Red Sox organization. Castro has now homered five times in his last 10 games.

Ugueto’s four RBI, which included a three-run homer in the third, tied his career high which he first set back in Single-A on April 15, 2022 against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, also like Asheville, an affiliate of the Houston Astros.

The pitching trio of Yordanny Monegro, Zach Fogell, and Reidis Sena combined for 17 strikeouts, tying the season high set just five days ago against the Hickory Crawdads. Of the Drive's highest marks for strikeouts in a game, four of those games have come against Asheville.

Greenville amassed much of the damage off starter Ethan Pecko, who made just his third appearance for the Tourists this season. The Drive jumped on Pecko early, springing for a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out RBI knock for Ronald Rosario, scoring Cutter Coffey from second.

The Tourists briefly knotted the game up in the bottom of the inning on an Austin Deming RBI-double before Ugueto chipped in his first RBI on a double in the second inning, scoring Jhostynxon Garcia, who doubled in the prior at-bat. Luis Ravelo struck out swinging two batters later, but a passed ball on the strikeout pitch allowed Ravelo to get to second and Ugueto to score, to put the Drive up 3-1.

The Tourists took the lead in the top of the second, battering Drive starter Yordanny Monegro for two homers in the inning, including a two-run shot from Anthony Sherwin and a solo homer from Logan Cerny. Monegro would ultimately toss four innings for the Drive, allowing four runs on four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Ugueto’s homer in the third put the Drive in front 6-4 and the game would remain that way until the fifth when the Tourists scratched two across off reliever Zach Fogell. Oliver Carrillo and Ryan Johnson each knocked RBI singles to even the score at 6-6.

Fogell tossed three innings of relief for the Drive, allowing two runs on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

But as they had in previous innings, the Drive responded as Castro added his first homer on a 410-foot shot to right center field to make it 8-6. Ravelo added an RBI single later in the frame to make it 9-6 before Mikey Romero boosted the lead to 10-6 on a sac-fly.

Castro added his second homer of the night, again to right center field and again 410 feet, lifting the lead to 11-6. Ryan Johnson homered off Reidis Sena in the eighth to trim the lead to 11-7, but a Romero RBI-double in the ninth put the game out of reach at 12-7.

Sena struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth, preserving the Drive’s 12-7 victory.

The Drive return to action on Wednesday, July 3rd in Asheville, NC for game three of the six-game split series with the Tourists with first pitch slated for 6:35 p.m.. The Drive hold a 2-0 lead in the series.