Hub City Spartanburgers
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SPARTANBURG, S.C. — After the Spartanburgers (16-27, 50-59) and Greenville Drive (22-22, 48-59) only managed to play into the third inning on Tuesday night, the neighbors resumed game one and played a second, seven-inning game on Wednesday. Greenville held on for a 7-6 win in game one, and Maxton Martin walked off game two on an infield single to win 3-2.
Out of gas yet Drive ??? pic.twitter.com/m89jLmtgSt
— Hub City Spartanburgers (@Spartanburgers_) August 13, 2026
The Drive scored five in the first off Ismael Agreda (L, 3-6) Tuesday, and the suspended game began with a five-run Hub City deficit at the bottom of the third. Greenville reliever Adam Bates started the resumption and kept Hub City off the scoreboard for three innings. Meanwhile, the Drive plated single runs in the fourth and fifth against Ben DeTaeye.
The Spartanburgers finally broke Bates in the sixth; a walk, an error and a hit loaded the bases for Gleider Figuereo, who battled for a nine-pitch walk to score the ‘Burgers’ first run. Greenville went to the bullpen for Joey Gartrell. Martin demolished the right-hander’s first pitch 415-feet to dead-centerfield to clear the bases. Martin’s second grand slam of the campaign cut the Drive advantage to 7-5. Quincy Scott followed with a solo blast, his tenth home run of the year, two pitches later. Gartrell eventually escaped the sixth with a one-run lead still intact.
Anthony Susac worked two scoreless innings out of the Hub City bullpen. He passed the baton to Kai Wynyard with two outs in the seventh. Wynyard used a strikeout to strand two Drive runners on base and keep it a 7-6 game.
Luke Hanson started the bottom of the seventh with a single. Gartrell (W, 2-0) walked the next batter, and Martin grounded out to move both runners into scoring position. Scott grounded a ball back to Gartrell, who threw out Hanson trying to score. A second straight fielder’s choice ended the inning.
Hub City had two runners in scoring position with one out again in the eighth against Matt McShane (S, 4) and did not score. After a scoreless ninth from Wynyard, McShane set down the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to close the game.
Game two, a seven-inning affair, was well-pitched by both sides. Former Tennessee teammates AJ Russell and Marcus Phillips battled for four innings, and the Spartanburgers rallied against the Drive bullpen for a 3-2 walkoff win.
Pastimes on the boardddd 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/DSQ4iIMy9U
— Hub City Spartanburgers (@Spartanburgers_) August 13, 2026
Russell struck out a pair in a fast top of the first. Phillips only faltered in the first, when Paxton Kling walked, stole second and scored on Antonis Macias’ RBI single. Macias recorded three hits in the nightcap.
Russell’s one blemish was the second inning. Isaiah Jackson blasted a solo home run to tie the game. A pair of walks and a throwing error put runners on second and third, and a groundout pulled Greenville in front 2-1. Russell rebounded to strike out a season-high seven over four innings.
2 better than 1 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WkL6K9qwTl
— Hub City Spartanburgers (@Spartanburgers_) August 12, 2026
Owen Proksch entered for the fifth and took care of businesses, tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Proksch carried Hub City to the final out of the seventh, when Jesus Gamez (W, 5-0) took over and finished the frame.
The ‘Burgers battled back to tie the game against Brandon Neely in the bottom of the fifth. Kling was the catalyst; he was hit by a pitch, then stole second. A Macias single advanced Kling to third, and Figuereo grounded in the tying run.
Martin GRAND SLAM 🫨🫨🫨 pic.twitter.com/iZSINsaos6
— Hub City Spartanburgers (@Spartanburgers_) August 12, 2026
Facing Aaron Nixon (L, 0-1) in the bottom of the seventh, Kling grounded an infield single up the middle, and Casey Cook dropped a bunt single down the third-base line. With two outs and runners at the corners, Martin bounced a ground ball to the right of the mound and hustled to first before a flip from Greenville second baseman Stanley Tucker. Kling scored and the ‘Burgers claimed their ninth walk-off victory this season.
The Spartanburgers and Drive battle for the series lead on Thursday night in game three. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET. The Spartanburgers have not listed a starter, but Greenville will send Jacob Mayers (0-0, 5.79 ERA) to the mound.
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