Cole's Four RBI Night Paces Tourists to 9-3 Win

ASHEVILLE- The Asheville Tourists snapped the Hickory Crawdads seven-game win streak with a 9-3 victory at McCormick Field on Wednesday night. In the process, Asheville extended their home stretch to ten wins in their last 12 games. Zach Cole drove in four runs and Logan Cerny hit a two-run Home Run to spark the offense.

Alex Santos II was Asheville’s starting pitcher and the right-hander continued his dominant stretch from mid-July through mid-August. Santos II scattered five Hickory hits across 4.1 innings, surrendered one run, and struck out six.

The Tourists built a 3-1 lead when Asheville plated a run in the third on a wild pitch and Cerny clubbed a 434-foot two-run Homer to left. The Crawdads tied the score with a two-run Home Run in the fifth but Asheville scored the game’s final six runs.

In the sixth, Asheville took a 4-3 lead when they pushed across a run on a double-play. Cole belted a two-run Home Run in the seventh that extended the lead to 6-3. In the eighth, Rolando Espinosa doubled in a run and Cole added a two-run single.

A.J. Blubaugh kept the Crawdads quiet during the Tourists offensive outburst. Blubaugh entered the game in the top of the sixth and pitched the final four innings. The right-hander held Hickory to no runs and no hits with four strikeouts.

Michael Sandle, Tommy Sacco Jr., and John Garcia all reached base twice for Asheville in the win.