Third Inning Nine-Spot Helps Asheville Best Jersey Shore 15-7

LAKEWOOD- The Asheville Tourists matched their most productive offensive inning in 2021 when they exploded for nine runs in the third against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws Thursday night. The Tourists used the monstrous frame to defeat the BlueClaws 15-7 and win for the fourth time in their last five games.

Jersey Shore scored the game’s initial run in the bottom of the first inning. Their lead was short lived. Asheville’s Yanier Diaz clubbed a three-run Home Run in the top of the second and gave the visitors a lead they would never relinquish. Diaz has homered in each of his first two games with the Tourists.

The top of the third inning featured an RBI double by C.J. Stubbs, a three-run double by Wilyer Abreu, RBI singles from JC Correa and Shay Whitcomb, and a towering three-run Homer to dead centerfield by Justin Dirden. Asheville led 12-1 heading to the bottom of the third.

The BlueClaws rallied to score four runs in the bottom of the third inning; however, Tourists starting pitcher Julio Robaina battled back to pitch five innings and earn his first win with Asheville. Whitcomb hit a tape-measure Home Run to left field in the fifth inning and Mark Moclair took the mound in the sixth with a 13-5 lead.

Moclair surrendered only one hit in his four innings pitched. That hit was a two-run blast in the seventh, but the game was well in Asheville’s hands. Moclair was credited with his third save of the season. Deury Carrasco notched an RBI triple in the eighth and promptly scored on a passed ball to cap the scoring.

Five Tourists hitters finished with multi-hit games including Luis Santana’s three hit output. Santana is now 9-for-20 with three multi-hit games since returning to the Tourists lineup after missing nearly two months of action.

Asheville will attempt to continue their momentum on Friday night with a 7:05pm ET first pitch at Jersey Shore.