Chaotic Eighth Inning Leads to Tourists Loss
April 9, 2025 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Asheville Tourists News Release
ASHEVILLE, NC - A late game-changing call decided the Asheville Tourists and Greenville Drive Wednesday night affair at McCormick Field, with the Drive pulling away 5-4.
The complexity of the night changed in the eighth inning when three runs came in to score for Greenville after entering the frame trailing by two.
Beforehand, the Drive (2-3) jumped on the board with a run in the third inning. The Tourists (2-3) immediately answered with a run of their own, thanks to Jose Gonzalez's first Minor League hit, scoring Drew Vogel on a single to right field.
Taking the lead again in the sixth, Greenville added another to make it a 2-1 game. Capitalizing on stretch time, Asheville put together a three-run bottom of the seventh tipping the seesaw back in its favor.
Tyler Whiteaker knocked home Will Bush with a base hit to right field. He advanced to second on the throw home, and Gonzalez then smoked a double down the right-field line to score him. With two outs, Gonzalez scored on an error to make it a 4-2 game.
With one out in the eighth and Asheville ahead 4-2, Yeriel Santos (0-1) issued three walks to load the bases but then rolled a potential inning-ending double play ball to third.
Once the relay throw was on the way to second base, a balk was called on Santos to bring home a run and keep the inning going. The two other runners later scored to finalize the run totals.
Jeremy Wu-Yelland (1-0) came into relief during the seventh inning, keeping Asheville off the board in his one and two-thirds frames. Closing the ninth, Isaac Stebens (Sv. 1) slammed the door.
The Tourists had the bases loaded in the eighth with no one out but couldn't find the scoreboard. They also stranded runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth.
Asheville out-slugged Greenville seven to three in hits and committed no errors in the field. The Drive had two defensive mistakes.
The bats were led by Gonzalez with a two-for-three effort and two RBIs.
Back tomorrow with a 6:35 p.m. ET first pitch, Asheville looks to climb back to .500 as they take on the Drive in Game 3 of their first home series in 2025.
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