Savannah 2, Asheville 0

An hour-plus rain delay interrupted what had the makings of a great pitchers’ duel Saturday between the Drive’s Kyle Stroup and Savannah’s Taylor Whitenton.  After Mother Nature chased away both hurlers after four innings, the Sand Gnats (74-50, 36-20) went onto blank Greenville (67-58, 29-26), 2-0 at Fluor Field. Stroup (5-6) endured the tough luck loss, his first in seven starts since coming off the disabled list on July 17th, despite allowing zero earned runs in his shortened stint.  The right-hander only needed 48 pitches to get through his four innings, while striking out two and not issuing a base on balls. The Sand Gnats broke a scoreless tie in the top of the second, when Albert Cordero began the frame by reaching on a Xander Bogaerts’ error at shortstop.  Following a double down the leftfield line by Aderlin Rodriguez, a groundout by Blake Forsythe put Savannah on top, 1-0. Despite allowing four hits and a walk in his 4.0 inning outing, Savannah’s Whitenton was unscathed.  The right-hander stranded runners in scoring position in the second and fourth innings. Justin Erasmus entered from the bullpen for Greenville following the delay, allowing just a pair of hits while fanning two in 3.0 shutout innings.  The Drive’s third right-hander of the night, Michael Gleason, added a scoreless eighth inning, but the Sand Gnats were able to tack on an insurance run in the top of the ninth.   Joe Bonfe drew a two-out walk, and came all the way around to score when Jet Butler deposited a single just out of the reach of a diving Felix Sanchez in centerfield. The two-run lead was all that Savannah needed to defeat the Drive, who could only muster six hits on a soggy night at Fluor Field.  Both Henry Ramos and Wilfred Pichardo recorded two hits apiece, but Greenville never registered the key hit, as they were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. The Drive’s best chance to score came in the seventh, when David Renfroe walked and then moved to third when Pichardo doubled off the Green Monster.  Felix Sanchez could not extend the two-out rally, however, as Hamilton Bennett recorded a strikeout versus the first batter he faced. The Sand Gnats used a pair of lefties out of the bullpen, Brandon Sage (2-0) and Bennett to preserve the shutout following the rain delay. The Drive and Sand Gnats conclude their series on Sunday with first pitch set for 4:05 PM from Fluor Field.  Right-hander Brandon Workman (3-7, 3.94 ERA) will head to the hill for Greenville, while Savannah counters with lefty Angel Cuan (10-2, 3.08 ERA). It’s “Family Fun Day” at the ballpark tomorrow, in which kids 12 and under get to run the bases at the conclusion of the game.  For more information regarding single-game tickets, luxury accommodations, group outings, and ticket plan packages call (864) 240-4500 or visit www.GreenvilleDrive.com.  GAME NOTES:  Attendance was 5,015…this was the 6th time the Drive have been shutout in 2011, 3rd at Fluor Field…since coming off the DL, Kyle Stroup is 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA (6 ER/34.2 IP), 28 strikeouts, and 4 walks