Tourists Fall 6-4 in Season Finale, Close Out 2026 with Record Attendance

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Game 130 of 130. The final chapter of the 2026 Asheville Tourists season ended Sunday night the way so many games this year did, right down to the wire, with the tying run at the plate and the crowd holding its breath.

Three straight strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth ended it. Greensboro won 6-4, and the Tourists walked off HomeTrust Park for the last time in 2026 having given the sellout crowd one final night of baseball worth watching.

Dylan Howard was outstanding in his final start of the season. The right-hander went five innings, struck out eight, and allowed just two runs while matching Greensboro starter Hung-Leng Chang pitch for pitch in what became a genuine pitchers duel through the first five frames. Chang was equally sharp, striking out eight of his own while allowing just one earned run across five innings to earn the win.

Greensboro broke through first. Wyatt Sanford homered to left-center in the third, and Yordany De Los Santos launched one to center in the fourth to make it 2-0. Asheville answered. Kenni Gomez doubled to score Jack Moss in the fourth to cut it to 2-1, and Xavier Neyens singled to score Jadyn Fielder in the fifth to tie it at two.

The game stayed tied until the sixth when De Los Santos struck again, going back to center for his 17th home run of the season to put Greensboro back in front. The seventh inning added two more, an Edward Florentino double and a wild pitch from Anthony Cruz to make it 5-2 and put the Tourists in a familiar position, needing late-inning magic to survive.

They almost got it. Moss singled to score Kyle Walker in the seventh. Yosweld Vasquez singled to score Gomez in the eighth to cut it to 6-4. The crowd that had stayed for fireworks found itself on its feet in the ninth. Three strikeouts later, the season was over.

Walker played his heart out in the finale, going 2-for-5 and making a web gem catch at second base. Moss went 3-for-5 to cap a strong final week. Neyens and Gomez both had multi-hit nights to close out their seasons on a positive note.

And while the final score wasn't what anyone in Asheville wanted, the number that matters most heading into the offseason is 192,472, a franchise record home attendance for the 2026 Tourists. The fans showed up all season long, through the rain delays and the losing streaks and the wild comebacks, and the Tourists gave them plenty to remember.

The 2026 season is complete. Asheville opens next season at HomeTrust Park on April 2nd against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.