Drive and BlueClaws Split Monday’s Doubleheader

The Greenville Drive will not be returning home from their Northern Division road trip empty handed, as they split Monday’s doubleheader with the Lakewood BlueClaws with a 5-3 win in the opener and a 2-1 loss in the nightcap.

A four-run first inning was all the cushion the Drive (11-12) would need in the first game of the day. Joseph Monge was hit by a pitch leading off the game against Jose Taveras (0-2), and he came all the way in from first when Tate Matheny doubled to left. After a walk to Josh Ockimey, Kyri Washington brought home two runs with triple to right field, and he later came home on a wild pitch.

The BlueClaws (6-17) got a run back in the first on Wilson Garcia’s sacrifice fly, and RBI hits by Jose Pujols and Jan Hernandez in the third cut the Drive lead to 4-3, but Matheny plated an insurance run in the seventh with a fielder’s choice.

Anyelo Leclerc (2-1) got the win in game one with two scoreless innings of relief, and Bobby Poyner pitched a perfect seventh to log his third save.

Matheny had two hits and two RBI in the opener, while Austin Rei added two hits and Washington drove home two.

In the second game, Lakewood plated a pair of runs against Daniel Gonzalez (1-1) in the second inning. Pujols began the frame with a single, and Hernandez doubled him home from first with two outs. Austin Bossart followed with an RBI single to make the score 2-0.

The Drive made a comeback attempt in the seventh inning, cutting the score to 2-1 when Jeremy Rivera tripled home Trenton Kemp, who walked, but Robert Tasin recorded the final two outs to get the save.

Zack Morris (1-1) got the win in relief of Lakewood starter Franklyn Kilome, who shut out the Drive for four and one-third innings.

Luis Alejandro Basabe went 2-4 in the nightcap and picked up three hits on the day.

Following an off day, the Drive will return to Greenville to begin a seven-game homestand on Wednesday night. The homestand begins with a three-game series against the Augusta GreenJackets, affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. First pitch for the series opener is at 7:05 PM.

(Written by Cameron White of the Greenville Drive.)