Savannah 9, Greenville 4

The first of a four-game set between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Greenville Drive was played in front of  2,471 fans Thursday evening at Grayson Stadium. The Savannah bats were hot as the team collected 13 hits, which included five players with multi-hit performances. The Sand Gnats won 9-4.

Savannah got off to a fast start by scoring in the first inning. Eudy Pina doubled to lead things off, went to third on a ground out, and scored on a sac fly. Piña was busy on the bases, scoring four times last night.

Shortstop Phillip Evans led off the third inning with a single, followed by a walk to Piña. First baseman Jayce Boyd hit a line drive shot over the left field fence for a three-run homer to make the score 4-0. Boyd responded well hitting in the clean up spot; he turned in a 4-for-4 night and was a double shy of hitting for the cycle.

Savannah continued to pile it on by scoring one run in the fifth, another in the seventh, and three more in the eighth.

Greenville tried to start a comeback with three runs in the sixth inning. Catcher Jayson Hernandez and shortstop Dreily Guerrero both singled and scored on a triple by Kevin Heller. A wild pitch then allowed Heller to reach home safely. Greenville added their final run in the eighth inning, but it was too little, too late at Grayson Stadium last night.

Savannah starting pitcher, Jake Kuebler,(Won, 2-2), pitched five shutout innings and allowed two hits, no walks, and struck out two. Reliever Marcos Camarena pitched one inning, allowing three runs on three hits, followed by one inning of work from Hunter Carnevale.

Pitching the final 2 innings, Beck Wheeler earned his sixth save of the season. He allowed one run on one hit, two walks, and three strikeouts.

Game two of the series will be played Friday evening at 7:05 pm at Grayson Stadium.

Key Stats

Eudy Pina: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 4 R, 2 SB

Brandon Nimmo: 1-for-5, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 R

Jayce Boyd: 4-for-4, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 RBI, 2 R

Cole Frenzel: 2-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 SB

Jake Kuebler: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

Marcos Camarena: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 3 ER, 0 K

Hunter Carnevale: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K

Beck Wheeler: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 3 K