September 15, 2010 at 10:36 AM
Hazelbaker homers in tough Drive loss
9/15 Cup of Coffee: The prolific playoff offense of the Greenville Drive hit a snag on Tuesday, as Lakewood (PHI) evened the series.
A close game early turned into a laugher by the end, as Greenville dropped a 6-1 decision to the Blue Claws. Ryan Pressly took the bump to start this one, and after allowing a run in the first, settled down nicely. He ended up allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk in 5.0 innings, leaving the game with a 2-0 deficit. In the bottom of the fifth, however, Jeremy Hazelbaker cut the Lakewood lead in half, launching a solo home run out to right field to make it 2-1. A walk, a wild pitch, and a single later in the inning looked good to tie the score, but Derrik Gibson was thrown out at home to end the inning and the threat. Things were pretty quiet from there, and the score remained 2-1 heading into the ninth thanks to some stellar relief work from Tom Ebert. But Ebert ran into significant trouble in the ninth, allowing a lead-off triple, striking out two, but then departing after allowing a run-scoring single. Unfortunately, Jordan Flasher couldn't put out the fire from there, allowing 3 more runs to cross the plate before recording the final out of the inning. The Drive managed a double in the bottom half, but it was far too little, far too late. Greenville managed only 4 hits in the game, with no player tallying more than 1, and was just 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. Hazelbaker led the way, going 1 for 3 with a walk, a home run, and a stolen base from the lead-off spot. The series will continue in Lakewood on Thursday, with Chris Balcom-Miller looking to give Greenville a new series lead.