September 14, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Diaz and Smith combine on a three-hit shutout
9/14 Cup of Coffee: Another tremendous pitching performance, this time led by Jhonathan Diaz, moved the Drive to within one win of their first South Atlantic League title in team history.
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Jhonathan Diaz pitched the Drive to a 2-0 series lead with 6 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed only two hits, both singles, and walked one while striking out seven. Hunter Smith came on in relief and allowed one hit over 2 2/3 shutout innings.
Greenville managed only six hits, with a solo home run from Roldani Baldwin (pictured) being the biggest. Brett Netzer went 2 for 4 with an RBI single, and Jerry Downs went 2 for 4 as the designated hitter.
Greenville managed only six hits, with a solo home run from Roldani Baldwin (pictured) being the biggest. Brett Netzer went 2 for 4 with an RBI single, and Jerry Downs went 2 for 4 as the designated hitter.
The series will now move to Greenville, where Bryan Mata will look to close it out on Thursday.
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Player of the Night: Now in his fourth season in the Red Sox system, Jhonathan Diaz started the year slow after being assigned to Greenville at the end of May, but he turned things around in the second half. He entered July with a 7.06 ERA over his first seven starts, but from that point on he had an ERA of 3.34 over 59 1/3 innings, with 20 walks and 53 strikeouts.
Photo Credit: Roldani Baldwin by Kelly O'Connor