Drive homer their way past Spartanburgers

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Greenville Drive delivered one of their loudest innings of the season Tuesday night, erupting for seven runs on four home runs in the eighth inning to beat the Hub City Spartanburgers 12-6 in the opener of a six-game series at Fluor Field at the West End.

Greenville (12-10) finished with 15 hits and five home runs, turning a late one-run deficit into a commanding win after Hub City (9-12) briefly grabbed momentum with a four-run eighth. Yoeilin Cespedes, Yophery Rodriguez, Justin Gonzales, Henry Godbout and Freili Encarnacion all homered for the Drive, with Encarnacion providing the exclamation point on a two-out grand slam in the decisive eighth.

The Drive led 5-2 entering the eighth before Hub City rallied against Calvin Bickerstaff. Quincy Scott walked, stole second and scored on Chandler Pollard’s fielder’s choice. Luke Hanson followed with an RBI double to left-center, and Arturo Disla later launched a two-run homer to left to put the Spartanburgers ahead 6-5.

The lead lasted only minutes.

Rodriguez opened the bottom of the eighth with a solo homer to right on an 0-1 pitch from Kai Wynyard, tying the game at 6. Gonzales followed by driving the first pitch he saw over the wall in center, and Godbout made it three straight homers with a shot to left on a 2-1 pitch, putting Greenville back in front 8-6.

The Drive were not done. Cespedes singled, Gerardo Rodriguez followed with a base hit, and Isaiah Jackson walked to load the bases with two outs. Encarnacion then jumped on an 0-1 pitch and sent it out to right for a grand slam, stretching Greenville’s lead to 12-6. Yophery Rodriguez added a double later in the inning, finishing the frame a triple shy of the cycle after homering and doubling in the same inning.

The seven-run eighth gave Greenville its largest offensive inning of the night and capped a game in which the Drive repeatedly answered Hub City’s pressure.

The Spartanburgers struck first in the third. Maxton Martin walked, stole second, and moved to third after Arturo Disla and Malcolm Moore drew back-to-back walks. Paxton Kling singled to shallow right to score Martin, and Scott later drove in Disla on a fielder’s choice to give Hub City a 2-0 lead.

Greenville responded immediately in the bottom half. Gonzales singled, Godbout followed with a base hit up the middle, and a wild pitch by Aidan Curry brought Gonzales home. Cespedes walked and Gerardo Rodriguez singled to load the bases before Jack Winnay lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Godbout to tie the game at 2.