Offense Comes Alive, Bullpen Locks It Down in 7-6 Tourists Win

GREENVILLE, S.C. — After 18 consecutive scoreless innings to open the series, the Tourists finally found their offense Thursday night. It was exactly what they needed.

Asheville scored seven runs, got a dominant late-inning performance from its bullpen, and held on for a 7-6 win over the Greenville Drive to snap a two-game shutout streak and get back in the win column.

Kyle Walker set the tone immediately. The leadoff man tripled to open the game, his first triple of the season, and scored on a Caden Powell groundout to give the Tourists a 1-0. Walker's cold stretch at the plate had been a storyline heading into the night. He answered with a 3-for-5 performance that was the offensive backbone of the Tourists win.

Greenville tied it right back on a Justin Gonzalez solo shot that snuck over the fence in right-center. But Asheville answered in the second when Zach Daudet launched a two-run home run over the replica Green Monster in left field. It was Daudet's first home run since May 17th and put the Tourists up 3-1.

The Drive tied it again in the bottom of the second on a bases clearing double from Hudson White. 3-3. The back and forth continued in the third when Powell bounced into a double play with runners on the corners, but Walker scored from third on the play to put Asheville back in front 4-3. Jack Moss extended the lead with an RBI double off the wall in left in the fourth. 5-3.

Then came the play that put the game away. With the bases loaded later in the fourth, Walker popped a ball into shallow left field that dropped in no man's land between shortstop Mason White and left fielder Yophery Rodriguez. One run scored on the hit, and White's throw home sailed wildly past the plate to bring in another on an error. 7-3 Asheville.

Kellan Oakes had an up and down start, finishing with 3.1 innings, eight strikeouts, and four runs allowed. It was easily his most comfortable outing of his three starts with Asheville. Anthony Cruz took over and ran into trouble immediately in the fifth, allowing two runs including an Antonio Anderson RBI single that made it 7-6 before finally getting out of the inning.

That's when Raimy Rodriguez took the ball and took over the game. The right-hander was at his best, tossing 2.1 perfect innings without allowing a hit, run, or walk while striking out five. It was the best outing of his season and earned him his first win. Bryce Collins followed with a hitless eighth, and Connor Steinbaugh closed it out with a nine-pitch battle against Yophery Rodriguez that ended on a groundout to second. Rodriguez, Collins, and Steinbaugh combined for 4.1 perfect innings and six strikeouts to finish off the win.

Thursday was also a notable night for the Houston Astros organization. Every level of the system picked up a win on the same day. The big league Astros, Sugar Land, Corpus Christi, Asheville, Fayetteville, and the Florida Complex League team all won.

Asheville improves to 2-4 in the second half. The Tourists and Drive meet again Friday night at Fluor Field. Parker Smith takes the ball for Asheville. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m.