Rosario knocks key RBIs in 5-3 victory over Rome
Ronald Rosario knocked tying and insurance RBIs on the night, lifting the Greenville Drive (1-1, 27-41) to a 5-3 victory over the Rome Emperors (1-1, 37-29); their first win of the second half of the South Atlantic League season and their second win on the week in Rome setting up
Ronald Rosario knocked tying and insurance RBIs on the night, lifting the Greenville Drive (1-1, 27-41) to a 5-3 victory over the Rome Emperors (1-1, 37-29); their first win of the second half of the South Atlantic League season and their second win on the week in Rome setting up a potential series split with a win in tomorrow’s contest.
Trailing 3-2 in the fifth, Cutter Coffey extended his hit streak to 11 games with a one-out single before advancing to second on a balk. The mistake cost the Emperors, as Ronald Rosario barreled up an RBI-double to left field corner, scoring Coffey and knotting the game at 3-3.
Eduardo Lopez slapped his second homer of the season in the sixth inning, putting the Drive in front for good before Rosario knocked his second RBI of the night in the seventh, slashing a liner into left field to score Mikey Romero from third, putting the Drive up 5-3.
Dalton Rogers tossed five innings for the Drive in his start, earning his second victory of the night. He allowed five hits on the night and three runs while ringing up four without issuing a walk. The runs would come via a two-run homer off the off bat of Sabin Ceballos in the third inning, knotting the game at 2-2. A Justin Janas groundout in the fourth scored E.J. Exposito, putting the Emperors up 3-2 briefly.
Greenville’s early runs came on a Rosario reach on a fielding error in the first, scoring Miguel Bleis who returned to the lineup for the second straight game after a finger injury kept him from the lineup for five games. Bleis set up the run with a single and stolen base before a wild pitch moved him to third.
The Drive faced MLB rehab-starter A.J. Minter in the first inning, picking up the Bleis hit and the run before the ball turned over to Riley Frey. Ahbram Linedo knocked an RBI single in the second, the first of seven hits and four runs the Drive picked up off Frey.
Relievers Zach Fogell and Cade Feeney delivered four shutout innings for the Drive after taking over for Rogers. Fogell would allow just two hits and one walk with four strikeouts in his three innings of work. Feeney picked up his third save of the year, relinquishing a lone hit, preserving the Drive’s 5-3 victory.
The Drive return to action on Sunday, June 23rd at 1:00 p.m. for the finale of the series with the Rome Emperors. Rome leads the series, 3-2.