The Asheville Tourists won their third straight ballgame away from home with a 4-1 series opening victory over the Jersey Shore BlueClaws on Tuesday evening.
This marks the first time this season Asheville has won three road games in a row and only the second time the Tourists have taken game one of a series away from McCormick Field.
The Tourists pitching led the way, despite starting pitcher Brayan de Paula only pitching to one batter. De Paula departed the game after throwing a total of just three pitches. The Tourists bullpen, which has been on a tear as of late, featured a trio of Kevin Holcomb, Cody Deason, and Chandler Casey.
Holcomb worked three shutout innings and allowed only one base-runner to pick up the win. Deason, making his Tourists debut, tossed four shutout frames with seven strikeouts. Casey notched his team-leading third save of the season by pitching the final two innings.
Offensively, the Tourists scored the contest’s initial run for the seventh straight game. That run came on a fourth inning solo Homer by Luke Berryhill. The score remained 1-0 all the way to the eighth when Asheville tacked on some insurance. Shay Whitcomb stayed hot with an RBI single to plate Berryhill and C.J. Stubbsscored Whitcomb with an RBI double. Luis Santana added a solo Home Run in the ninth.
Asheville continued their recent aggressiveness on the base paths with a 3-for-3 effort in stolen bases. Stubbs, Whitcomb, and Justin Dirden all successfully swiped a bag. The Tourists are stealing bases at a 75% success rate as a team this year. In addition to scoring first in every game this road trip, the Tourists outhit their opponent for the seventh straight game.
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Written by Doug Maurer, Asheville Tourists.