Published on August 29, 2025 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release
Greenville, S.C. – Johanfran Garcia delivered one of the biggest swings of the season Friday night at Fluor Field, crushing a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th to give the Greenville Drive (62-62) a thrilling 8-5 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods (63-59). The victory evened the six-game series at two games apiece and kept the Drive within striking distance of first place in the South Division’s second-half standings, just two games back with eight left to play.
The dramatic finish capped a rollercoaster night where the Drive saw a four-run lead slip away late before answering in emphatic fashion.
Slow Start, Midgame Explosion
Bowling Green scratched across the game’s first run in the top of the third. After Hunter Haas was hit by a pitch and Daniel Vellojin singled, Shea Sprague replaced starter Juan Valera. The Hot Rods plated Haas on a double-play grounder, taking a 1-0 lead.
The Drive offense was quiet through five innings against Hot Rods starter Garrett Gainey before erupting in the sixth. Garcia and Nelly Taylor reached to set up Yophery Rodriguez, who doubled down the right-field line to tie the game. Maximus Martin followed with an RBI single to put Greenville ahead 2-1.
Freili Encarnacion then worked a walk, and with two on and two out, rookie catcher Andruw Musett provided his first professional home run in unforgettable fashion, a towering three-run shot to left that put Greenville up 5-1 and ignited the 5,788 fans at Fluor Field.
Hot Rods Rally Back
The Hot Rods refused to go quietly. In the eighth, Angel Mateo cut the deficit in half with a two-run homer off Danny Kirwin, trimming Greenville’s lead to 5-3.
Then, in the ninth, Haas worked a leadoff walk before Vellojin launched a game-tying two-run blast to left, his sixth of the season. Suddenly, the score was 5-5, and the Drive’s momentum was gone.
Garcia Seals It
After a scoreless top of the 10th from Adam Smith (7-3), Greenville came to bat with Justin Riemer placed on second as the automatic runner. Franklin Arias walked, putting two aboard. Mason White grounded into a fielder’s choice, moving Riemer to third while Arias was erased.
That brought Garcia to the plate with one out and he did. Not. Miss. On a 1-0 pitch from Noah Beal, Garcia turned on a fastball and launched it high over the left-field wall for a no-doubt, three-run walk-off home run. His teammates mobbed him at…
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