Grasshoppers come back to defeat Drive 11-9

GREENSBORO (Greenville Drive) — The Greenville Drive piled up 15 hits and mounted a late rally Tuesday night, but a pair of big innings by the Greensboro Grasshoppers proved too much to overcome in an 11-9 loss in the opener of a six-game series at First National Bank Field.

Greenville (13-15) led 5-3 after four innings and brought the potential tying run to the plate in each of the final two frames, but Greensboro (17-11) used a five-run fourth and a three-run sixth to take control.

Isaiah Jackson paced the Drive offense with a four-hit night, finishing 4-for-5 with three RBI, a run scored and a stolen base. Yoeilin Cespedes added three hits, Henry Godbout homered, scored three times and drove in two, and Freili Encarnacion went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI.

The Drive opened the scoring in the second against Greensboro starter Hung-Leng Chang. Jackson singled to center, stole second and moved to third on Mason White’s double to shallow right. Encarnacion followed with an RBI groundout to give Greenville a 1-0 lead.

Greensboro answered immediately in the bottom half when Tony Blanco Jr. drove a solo homer to right-center field off Alex Bouchard, tying the game at 1-1.

Greenville moved back in front in the third with a four-hit inning. Godbout singled up the middle, Cespedes followed with a single to shallow center and Gerardo Rodriguez loaded the bases with a single to left-center. Jack Winnay brought home Godbout with a sacrifice fly, and Jackson followed with an RBI single to right-center to score Cespedes and put the Drive ahead 3-1.

The Grasshoppers pulled even in the bottom of the third after Matt King reached on a throwing error, Wyatt Sanford singled and Edward Florentino delivered an RBI single to right. Easton Carmichael then grounded out to short, scoring Sanford to tie the game at 3-3.

Godbout gave the Drive the lead again in the fourth. After Justin Gonzales reached on a fielding error by Blanco Jr., Godbout launched a two-run homer to left field on an 0-1 pitch, his fourth of the season, pushing Greenville ahead 5-3.

Greensboro responded with the decisive inning in the bottom of the fourth. Blanco Jr. walked, Shalin Polanco singled and Ivan Brethowr drove in a run with a double to right. King followed with a fielder’s choice that scored Polanco, and the Grasshoppers took advantage of three Greenville miscues in the inning.

A throwing error on a pickoff attempt allowed Brethowr to score, King stole third, and Sanford walked before Sanford stole second and King stole home. A throwing error on the play moved Sanford to third, and a passed ball brought him in to cap the five-run frame and give Greensboro an 8-5 lead.