Back-to-back wins move Hoppers above .500

GREENSBORO ― Jackson Glenn went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning, leading the Greensboro Grasshoppers to a 6-4 victory over the Hickory Crawdads at L.P. Frans Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

With back-to-back wins to start the series at Hickory, the Hoppers moved to 3-2 (30-40 overall) in the second half of the South Atlantic League season. It’s the first time they’ve been over .500 since opening day.

Glenn tripled, doubled and singled twice, finishing a home run short of hitting for the cycle.

Glenn’s one-out double to left field in the 10th inning drove home Ernny Ordonez to break a 4-4 tie. Pinch-hitter Endy Rodriguez followed with his own RBI double to bring Glenn home with an insurance run.

Big right-hander Eddy Yean (2-2) picked up the win in relief, striking out three while working scoreless ninth and 10th innings. The hard-throwing Yean faced just one batter over the minimum, getting a ground-ball double play to end the game.

Abrahan Gutierrez went 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Hoppers, and Francisco Acuna was 3-for-6 with a double.

HOPPERS 5, CRAWDADS 4

Fabricio Macias led off the top of the ninth inning with a solo home run as the Hoppers beat the Crawdads on Tuesday night at L.P. Frans Stadium.

Macias went 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the game, and Gutierrez hit a solo home run, drew a walk and scored twice.

Right-hander Jack Carey (3-4) pitched three scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win, and Oliver Mateo stuck out three in the ninth inning to earn his second save.

Justin Meis made his second straight strong start, allowing one run and striking out five in five innings. Meis has allowed just one run in his last 11 innings of work, lowering his ERA from 108.00 to 6.94.

NOTES

• Greensboro is 12-11 in one-run games this season. The Hoppers have won 11 of their last 17 one-run games.
• Wednesday’s starter Nick Garcia worked five effective innings. The right-hander’s 3.30 ERA ranks fourth among South Atlantic League qualifiers, and he’s still the only pitcher in the league to throw a complete-game shutout this season. Garcia has struck out 56 in 62 ⅔ innings, and he has held opponents to a .204 batting average.
• Infielder Dariel Lopez has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games, going 22-for-65 (.338) with five home runs, three doubles, 14 RBIs and 16 runs scored. He has seven multi-hit games in that span.
• First baseman Jacob Gonzalez went 1-for-3 Tuesday, extending his on-base streak to 14 consecutive games. Since his promotion from Class-A Bradenton on May 10, Gonzalez has reached base in 31 of 36 games, with 11 multi-hit games. Gonzalez is 42-for-137 (.307) with seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and 20 RBIs.
• Endy Rodriguez went 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI in the two games. Rodriguez has hit safely in 12 of his last 16 games, going 16-for-52 (.308) with eight doubles, a home run and 11 RBIs. The versatile 22-year-old is rated by MLB Pipeline as Pittsburgh's No. 7 prospect, and he has played four positions ― catcher, first base, second base and left field ― this season.
• Utility player Ernny Ordoñez went 2-for-4 Wednesday, and since June 1 he has hit safely in 11 of 15 games, with six home runs, three doubles and 17 RBIs in that span.