Drive comeback too little too late as Aberdeen wins 5-3

Drive held hitless through five; score three in the seventh but can’t complete comeback

For the second straight game it was a case of too little too late for the Greenville Drive (27-35, 63-65) as another large deficit left them playing catch-up in what would ultimately be a 5-3 victory for the Aberdeen IronBirds (30-31, 62-63).

The Drive were hitless through 5.2 innings Wednesday night as Aberdeen starter Seth Johnson cruised through the first three innings of the ball game allowing just one base runner on a walk while picking up five strikeouts. The Drive hit would come in the sixth on an Eddinson Paulino single with two away off reliever Daniel Lloyd who tossed 2.2 scoreless to that point.

By the time the Drive recorded their first hit they were staring down a 5-0 deficit as Aberdeen wasted no time jumping to the lead. Until tonight, opposing batters had yet to figure out newly acquired Drive starter Zach Penrod, but Aberdeen cracked the code Wednesday, pouring on five runs (all earned) on seven hits including a home run and reaching base via walk four times. Penrod exited the contest after 3.2 innings of work giving way to Casey Cobb.

Samuel Basallo notched his sixth homer of the year in the first, a two-run shot over the right field wall to give Aberdeen the 2-0 lead before he’d drive in the third run in the third inning on a single. Creed Willems added an RBI-single a batter later and Carter Young rounded out the IronBirds’ scoring with an RBI-double to make it 5-0 at the conclusion of the third.

Cobb proved a steady choice out of the pen for the Drive, allowing just one hit in 2.1 innings of work while recording a strikeout. With Cobb holding firm and Paulino breaking up the no-hit bid, the Drive found life in the seventh. With two outs and Bryan Gonzalez on second, newly added catcher from AA Portland, Matt Donlan, singled to get Gonzalez to third before Eduardo Lopez brought both runners home with a double to left field. Gilberto Jimenez brought Lopez home one pitch later with a single into right field to draw the Drive within two.

Relievers Nathan Landry and Felix Cepeda made sure the deficit remained at two as they each tossed an inning but the Drive’s best chance to knot the game or take the lead came in the eighth as two runners reached with two away in the eighth. But a Tyler Miller strikeout on a foul tip ended the threat.

The Drive would get the leadoff man aboard in the top of the ninth but go down on two fly outs and a pop out to end the game.

The Greenville Drive (Boston Red Sox) return to action Thursday, September 7th for game three of the six-game series with the Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore Orioles) to close out the regular season. The IronBirds hold a 2-0 lead in the series. The Drive return to Fluor Field on September 14th for the SAL Playoffs.