Drive suffers walk-off loss, hurts playoff hopes

BOWLING GREEN, KY. — For a few brief moments Thursday night, the Greenville Drive appeared to have pulled off yet another dramatic comeback in their late-season playoff push.

Down to their final strike and trailing by two runs in the top of the ninth, Nazzan Zanetello blasted a homer to left-center field, pulling Greenville even at 6-6. But the celebration was short-lived, as Tony Santa Maria, the leadoff batter in the bottom half, launched his second home run of the night to give the Bowling Green Hot Rods a 7-6 walk-off victory.

The loss was particularly damaging to Greenville's postseason hopes. The Winston-Salem Dash cruised past the Rome Emperors Thursday night, leaving the Drive 2 1/2 games behind Winston-Salem with just three games remaining in the regular season.

Greenville struck first when Ronny Hernandez connected for his 14th home run of the season with two outs in the opening inning. Bowling Green immediately answered in the bottom half, however, as Santa Maria doubled, stole third and scored on a Nathan Flewelling single to tie the game.

The Hot Rods moved in front in the third. Santa Maria opened the inning with his second double of the game and later scored on a Narciso Polanco groundout before Ryan McCoy doubled home Flewelling, giving Bowling Green a 3-1 advantage.

The Drive battled all the way back in the sixth behind Givian Sirvania. Stanley Tucker opened the inning with a double and stole third before Sirvania launched his first home run as a member of the Drive, a two-run shot to left-center that tied the game at 3-3.

Greenville grabbed the lead one inning later. Antonio Anderson drew a one-out walk, Skylar King delivered a two-out RBI double to center that scored Anderson and put the Drive ahead, 4-3.

Once again, Santa Maria had the answer. His first homer of the night came with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, tying the game at four runs apiece.

Bowling Green then appeared to take control in the eighth. Ryan Cermak walked and Polanco reached on a bunt single before McCoy's sharp ground ball off Drive pitcher Luis Cohen, aided by a throwing error on the play allowed both runs to score, giving the Hot Rods a 6-4 advantage entering the ninth.

The Drive refused to go quietly.

Hernandez led off the ninth with a single to right. After Maximus Martin lined out and Anderson struck out, Greenville was down to its final out. Zanetello crushed Jacob Hartlaub's two-strike offering over the wall in left-center, his sixth homer of the season, tying the game at 6-6 and keeping Greenville's hopes alive.

But in the bottom of the ninth, Santa Maria drove Matt McShane's pitch over the left-center field wall for his second home run of the night and the walk-off winner.

Dylan Brown started for Greenville and allowed three runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings while striking out eight without issuing a walk. McShane took the loss.

The Drive now enter the final three games of the regular season needing to win out, while hoping Winston-Salem endures a three-game skid to keep their postseason chances alive.