Taylor busy as Suns win 2nd-half opener

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Hagerstown’s Michael Taylor finished a single short of the cycle as the Suns opened their second half of the South Atlantic League season with a 6-3 victory over  the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Thursday night.

Taylor went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and home run. He drove in two runs and scored twice.

Adrian Sanchez also went 3-for-4, and Jason Martinson was 2-for-4 with a home run for the Suns.

Hagerstown starter Matthew Grace (8-5) pitched six innings for the win. He allowed three runs, five hits and a walk, while striking out six.

The Suns scored two runs in the top of the seventh to take a 5-3 lead.

Wade Moore drew a leadoff walk against reliever Kevin Cravey (0-1) and stole second. After Taylor struck out, Moore went to third on Blake Kelso’s groundout and then scored the go-ahead run as Sanchez reached on an error.

Sanchez went to second on a single by Bryce Harper and scored on a single by David Freitas.

The Suns added an insurance run in the ninth as Taylor hit a leadoff triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kelso.

The Suns took a 1-0 lead in the second on back-to-back, two-out doubles by Wade Moore and Taylor.

Hagerstown went up 2-1 in the fifth on Taylor’s solo shot to right.

Martinson’s home run to right in the sixth gave the Suns a 3-2 lead.

Harper finished 1-for-5 as his batting average dropped to .328.