Corona Belts First Home Run in Matinee Loss

GREENSBORO- The Asheville Tourists dropped a day game to the Greensboro Grasshoppers just hours after winning an extra-inning affair last night. Greensboro responded with a 9-2 victory to even up the series at one game apiece.

Asheville’s starting pitcher, Diosmerky Taveras, lasted only two innings and was forced to throw over 60 pitches. Taveras worked out of jams in each of the first two frames. He limited the damage to only one run.

The game remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth. Greensboro took advantage of an Asheville error with two outs to plate four unearned runs. The Grasshoppers added one more in the seventh.

Asheville’s lone scoring inning came in the top of the eighth. Kenedy Corona launched an opposite field solo Home Run to lead off the inning. Michael Sandle then reached on an infield single, stole second and third, and scored on a double-play grounder.

The Grasshoppers countered with three more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Aaron Brown pitched well for the Tourists out of the bullpen. Brown worked five innings and surrendered just one earned run. Despite the lopsided loss, Brown was able to save the bullpen for the remainder of the series.

Corona and Sandle both finished with two hits. The rest of the team went 1-for-23 with Luis Santana connecting with the other hit. Santana, Asheville’s hottest hitter over the last three weeks, reached base three times in the game but was forced to leave after being hit by a pitch in the ninth inning.

Tourists Game Recaps are presented by Jackson Electrical Contractors, Inc