The Hub City Spartanburgers dropped both of their first two games against the Greenville Drive in an Upstate rivalry series at Fluor Field this week, falling 12-6 on Tuesday and 8-7 in extra innings on Wednesday night.
Tuesday’s game featured a dramatic swing of momentum. Spartanburgers first baseman Arturo Disla launched a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning to give Hub City a 6-5 lead — his fifth home run of the 2026 season. Disla entered the night hitting .394 with seven multi-hit games, continuing a torrid stretch that began in the previous series against Winston-Salem. The Drive responded in the bottom of the eighth with four consecutive home runs from Yophery Rodriguez, Justin Gonzales, Henry Godbout, and a grand slam by Freili Encarnacion, turning a one-run deficit into a 12-6 final.
Wednesday’s contest went to extra innings. Hub City starter Dalton Pence — the Texas Rangers’ No. 12 prospect — and the Drive combined for six home runs in a back-and-forth game. Luke Hanson, a Spartanburgers infielder, hit his first professional home run in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game at 5-5. In the tenth, Malcolm Moore crushed a two-run blast to give Hub City a 7-5 lead. But the Drive’s Yoeilin Cespedes answered with his second homer of the night to tie it, and a throwing error by second baseman Antonis Macias on a broken-bat comebacker allowed Gerardo Rodriguez to score the walk-off run from third base. Greenville won 8-7.
The Spartanburgers — the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and reigning South Atlantic League South Division Champions — entered the series at 9-12, sitting fifth in the SAL South standings. Hub City snapped its four-game losing streak in game three on Thursday, as right-hander Brock Porter (3-0) tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings and Hanson added a three-run homer for his second long ball in back-to-back games. The final score was 6-2.
Despite the early-series skid, the Spartanburgers continue to generate power at the plate. The club’s next home series begins May 5 at Fifth Third Park in Spartanburg, hosting the Wilmington Blue Rocks — the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Tuesday, May 6 is Arturo Disla bobblehead night. Tickets are available at hubcityspartanburgers.com or by calling 864-594-0701.
