Greenville 8, Savannah 4

Greenville rode some hot bats to an 8-4 victory over the Savannah Sand Gnats on Friday night.

Left fielder Drew Turocy led the way for the Drive by going 3 for 5 with a double, triple and two RBIs. Shortstop Jose Vinicio used his speed to create havoc — stealing three bases while going 2 for 4 with a pair of runs. The Drive pounded out 14 hits as the first five batters in the lineup had 12 hits.

In contrast, the top of the Gnats’ batting order was virtually silent. Only leadoff man Chad Zurcher had a hit among the first five hitters in the lineup.

In the first, Greenville’s Vinicio manufactured a run when he singled, stole second, stole third and scored on a throwing error by Savannah catcher Albert Cordero.

The Gnats rallied in the second when Eudy Pina hit a solo shot over the left field wall for his eighth homer of the year. Cordero’s RBI single gave the Gnats a 2-1 lead.

Greenville answered with a pair in the third. Mookie Betts doubled to left and scored on a triple by Turocy. David Chester followed with an RBI single as the Drive took a 3-2 lead.

In the sixth, Sand Gnats shortstop Phillip Evans (2 for 4) got things going with a two-out single, and Cordero (3 for 4) singled to move him to third. Dimas Ponce’s RBI single brought Evans home, and Cordero scored on a wild pitch to put the Gnats up 4-3.

The Drive broke loose for four runs in the sixth. Keaton Briscoe singled, and Jordan Weems moved him to third with a double. Briscoe scored on a balk. Betts and Vinicio kept the rally going with RBI singles, and Turocy drove in another run with a double to left as Greenville took a 7-4 lead. The Drive added an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI single by Aneury Tavarez.

Gnats’ starter Matt Koch minimized the damage and was solid – pitching five innings and allowing three runs on eight hits. Reliever Tyler Vanderheiden (4-1) was tagged with his first loss of the season — he allowed four runs on five hits in one-third of an inning.

Starter Jacob Dahlstrand pitched well for the Drive, giving up two runs on two hits in five innings. Austin Maddox blew a save, but earned the win for the Drive.

Former South Effingham star J.B. Wendelken earned his seventh save of the year for Greenville. He pitched the final two frames without allowing a run as he allowed three hits and struck out three. The Gnats play a doubleheader with the Drive today, with the first game starting at 5 p.m.

Key Stats

Albert Cordero: 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R

Eudy Pina: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Dimas Ponce: 1-for-4, 1 RBI

Matthew Koch: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 4 K

Tyler Vanderheiden: 0.1 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 ER, 1 K

Hunter Carnevale: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 4 K, 0-of-3 inherited runners scored

(Team Report)