Greenville Drive complete sweep of Hudson Valley, win South Atlantic League championship

The Greenville Drive are the 2023 champions of the South Atlantic League.

The Drive defeated the Hudson Valley Renegades 7-3 on Tuesday night at Fluor Field to sweep the best-of-three championship series 2-0. Greenville also swept their division championship series against Hickory 2-0 to go undefeated in the postseason under fifth-year manager Iggy Suarez.

It is the second SAL championship for the Drive, an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox that won the championship in 2017. The city had two previous minor league champions, in 1992 and 1997, when the Greenville Braves won Southern League titles.

Here's how the Drive clinched Tuesday night:

Greenville Drive's pitching dominates Hudson Valley Renegades

Three Greenville pitchers combined to keep Hudson Valley at bay for the second consecutive game.

Starter Dalton Rogers went three innings, holding the Renegades to one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five. Rogers, who went 2-6 with a 5.52 ERA in the regular season, left with a 2-1 lead.

He was followed by Zach Penrod, who gave up a leadoff homer in the fourth to Rafael Flores but held Hudson Valley scoreless from there until tiring in the ninth and being replaced by Felix Cepeda after giving up a walk and a double. In five innings, Penrod allowed only three hits and one walk and struck out seven. He allowed one run in five innings in a victory against Hickory in the division playoffs.

Cepeda retired the next two batters, then allowed an infield single to load the bases. A wild pitch brought home a Renegades run, but then Cepeda ended the game — and clinched the championship — by striking out Cole Gabrielson.

Pitching was a strength throughout the playoffs. In Game 1 of the championship series, four Greenville pitchers combined on a 2-0 shutout. Luis Perales, who was 0-3 with a 4.95 ERA in the regular season, pitched the first six innings, allowing one hit. In the division championship series, the Drive pitching staff allowed only five runs in 18 innings.

Greenville's offense broke open the championship game

The Drive managed only 13 hits combined in their first three playoff games. They matched that number Tuesday.

Eddinson Paulino, who led Greenville in doubles with 28 during the regular season, started the offense Tuesday with a two-run double that gave the Drive the lead. Hudson Valley tied the score on Flores' homer, but Greenville regained it on Ronald Rosario's homer in the sixth then broke open the game in the seventh.

Tyler Miller singled in a run, and two batters later, Kristian Campbell hit a three-run homer.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: How Greenville Drive won second South Atlantic League championship