Gomez Deals Six Scoreless in Tourists Victory

ASHEVILLE- The Asheville Tourists received another excellent starting pitching performance on Saturday night. This time it was Cesar Gomez who delivered in a big way. The Tourists used Gomez’s outing and some late offense to defeat the Greensboro Grasshoppers by a final score of 8-4.

Gomez dealt for six innings which tied his career high. The right-hander struck out six of the first eight batters he faced and finished with a career best nine strikeouts on the night. Gomez limited the Grasshoppers to only two hits and did not let a Greensboro runner reach second base.

Asheville took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Michael Sandle and Quincy Hamilton hit back-to-back doubles. It was the only damage the Tourists were able to record off Greensboro’s starting pitcher Jared Jones.

In the sixth, Hamilton came home to score on an RBI single off the bat of JC Correa; one of Correa’s three hits in the contest. Asheville then padded their lead with six more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Chad Stevens blasted a two-run Home Run to centerfield, A.J. Lee ripped an RBI single into left, and Hamilton hit a bases clearing single to give the Tourists an 8-0 lead.

The Grasshoppers managed to plate four runs in the top of the ninth; however, Aaron Brown earned a save by pitching the game’s final three innings. Colin Barber also contributed with three hits from the leadoff spot.

Asheville and Greensboro will wrap up their six-game series on Sunday afternoon at 1:05pm. A win would give the Tourists a series split.

Tourists Game Recaps are presented by Jackson Electrical Contractors, Inc