Savannah scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a 3-1 Greenville lead and the Sand Gnats defeated the Drive 7-4 Monday night.
Earlier Monday, the two teams completed a game suspended on Friday and pushed back by bad weather on Saturday and Sunday with Greenville winning 2-1.
In the regularly scheduled game, Savannah had a 1-0 lead erased by three Drive runs in the top of the third. Greenville had back-to-back singles to start the inning, then scored on a sacrifice bunt, a throwing error and ground out, and a single.
Savannah took the lead for good with the big sixth inning. Jorge Rivero singled and Brandon Nimmo reached on an error. Maikis De La Cruz’s single scored Rivero, and Nimmo scored on a wild pitch to tie it up. Eudy Pina’s sacrifice fly scored De La Cruz to make it 4-1.
Savannah scored twice more in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Jeff Glenn singled and Dimas Ponce doubled. Glenn scored on a wild pitch and Ponce came home on De La Cruz’s double.
Each team scored a run in the eighth.
Luis Cessa (5-2) earned the win with seven innings of solid work. He scattered six hits, gave up three runs (two earned), walked none and struck out six.
Cody Kukuk (4-8) was the loser, giving up two hits, four runs (two earned), walking three and striking out six.
In the first game, a continuation of a contest suspended in the fifth inning Friday, Aneury Tavarez tripled home the winning run in the top of the ninth inning. David Chester walked to lead off the inning, then stole second and third before Tavarez’s big hit.
The Drive scored the game’s first run in the top of the second. With one out, Tavarez bounced a single down the right-field line to start the action. After two walks loaded the bases, Dreily Guerrero lifted a sacrifice fly to drive home Tavarez and put the Drive up 1-0.
The Gnats evened things in the bottom of the fourth. Greenville’s Luis Diaz retired the first 11 batters of the game, but the Gnats’ 12th, De La Cruz, reached on an error. He stole second and then scored on Stefan Sabol’s clean line drive single into center field.
Gnats’ starter Steven Matz lasted five innings, fanning eight batters and allowing two hits. Jake Kuebler (2-6) absorbed the loss despite pitching four innings of two-hit ball and striking out five.
Diaz was just as sharp, yielding one run on three hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
The Sand Gnats are off and will open a series against West Virginia on Wednesday.
Game 2
Greenville ab r h bi Savannah ab r h bi
Gragnani 2b 3 1 0 0 Rivero dh 3 1 2 1
Vinicio ss 4 1 1 1 Nimmo cf 4 1 0 0
Chester 1b 4 0 1 1 De La Crz rf 4 1 2 1
Martinez dh 4 0 1 1 Sabol lf 3 0 3 0
Tavarez rf 4 0 1 0 Pina dh 2 2 0 1
Heller lf 4 0 0 0 Frenzehl 1b 3 0 0 0
Briscoe 3b 4 0 0 0 Evans ss 4 0 2 0
Weems c 4 1 3 0 Glenn c 4 1 1 0
Sanchez cf 2 1 1 0 Ponce 3b ss 4 1 1 0
Totals 33 4 8 3 Totals 31 7 7 5
Greenville 003 000 010 — 4
Savannah 010 003 210 — 7
E—Cessa, Grangani. LOB—Greenville 4, Savannah 5. DP—Savannah 1. 2b—Ponce, De La Cruz. SF—-Pina.
GREENVILLE IP H R ER BB SO
Kukuk (L, 4-8) 5 1/3 2 4 2 3 6
Maddox 1 2/3 4 2 2 0 0
Wendelken 1 1 1 1 1 0
SAVANNAH IP H R ER BB SO
Cessa (W, 5-2) 7 6 3 2 0 6
Sewald 1 2 1 2 0 0
Wheeler 1 0 0 0 0 2
Game 1
(Completion of game suspended on 7/12)
Greenville ab r h bi Savannah ab r h bi
Gragnani 2b 4 0 0 0 Zurcher 2b 4 0 1 0
Vinicio ss 4 0 0 0 Rivero dh 4 0 0 0
Chester dh 3 0 0 0 De La Crz cf 4 1 1 0
Briscoe dh 0 1 0 0 Sabol lf 4 0 1 1
Martinez 3b 4 0 1 0 Frenzel 1b 4 0 1 0
Tavarez rf 4 1 2 1 Pron rf 4 0 0 0
Hernandez c 2 0 1 0 Reynolds 3b 3 0 1 0
Moanaroa 1b 3 0 0 0 Cordero c 3 0 1 0
Guerrero lf 2 0 0 1 Evans ss 3 0 0 0
Sanchez cf 2 0 0 9
Totals 28 2 4 2 Totals 33 1 6 1
Greenville 010 000 001 —2
Savannah 000 010 000 —1
E—Martinez. LOB—Greenville 5, Savannah 5. DP—Savannah 1. 2b—Tavarez. 3—Tavarez. SF—-Guerrero.
GREENVILLE IP H R ER BB SO
Diaz 5 3 1 0 0 5
Montas (W, 2-7) 4 3 0 0 0 4
SAVANNAH IP H R ER BB SO
Matz 5 2 1 1 2 8
Kuebler (L, 2-6) 4 2 1 1 1 5
WP—Kuebler. HBP—Hernandez (by Matz), Hernandez (by Kuebler).
T—2:46. A—2,437.