INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The Gwinnett Stripers (33-23) beat the Indianapolis Indians (31-22) 4-2 on Sunday afternoon in the final game of the three-game series at Victory Field. Andres Blanco hit a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning and had three RBIs for the day, helping the Stripers win the series 2-1 and improve to 4-2 on the road trip.
Scoring Recap: Gwinnett got on the board first with two runs the top of the third. An RBI groundout to short by Blanco scored Luis Marte for a 1-0 lead, and an RBI single by Adam Duvall off Indianapolis starting pitcher Mitch Keller scored Rafael Ortega to make it 2-0. Stripers’ starting pitcher Patrick Weigel gave up a solo homer to Eric Wood (8) in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to 2-1. Blanco (9) drilled his clutch homer off reliever Montana DuRapau to make it 4-1 in the eighth. The Indians got within 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI double by Pablo Reyes off Gwinnett reliever Ben Rowen.
Stripers Stats: Weigel, in his third start with Gwinnett this season, went 3.2 innings with four hits, one earned run, and three strikeouts. Rowen (W, 4-1) pitched 4.1 innings with three hits, one earned run, and five strikeouts. A.J. Minter (S, 2) pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth for the save. At the plate, Blanco was 1-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs, and Sal Giardina was 2-for-4 with a double.
Indians Stats: Keller (L, 5-1) worked 6.0 innings with three hits, two earned runs, and five strikeouts. DuRapau allowed two runs on one hit over 1.0 inning. Reyes went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, and Wood went 1-for-4 with a homer and one RBI. Kevin Kramer also went 2-for-4.
Postgame Notes: The Stripers added another home run to their International League-leading total which now stands at 97 in 56 games. Gwinnett has won five of the six games played against Indianapolis this season. Minter has yet to allow a run in seven outings (9.1 innings) out of the Stripers bullpen and is 2-for-2 in save opportunities.
Next Game (Monday, June 3): Gwinnett at Charlotte, 7:04 p.m. RHP Huascar Ynoa (1-1, 6.75 ERA) will pitch for the Stripers vs. LHP Colton Turner (3-2, 5.11 ERA) for the Knights. Radio Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on 97.7 and 93.5 FM “The Other Side of the River.”
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The Gwinnett Stripers are the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, playing their 11th season at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, Ga. For tickets, team merchandise or more information, visit GoStripers.com. Follow the Stripers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at GoStripers.