SYRACUSE, NY – The Gwinnett Stripers (37-29), riding the pitching of Kyle Wright and a 17-hit attack, beat the Syracuse Mets (32-35) 11-4 on Friday night in the opener of the three-game series at NBT Bank Stadium. Wright struck out a season-high 10 batters and Sean Kazmar Jr. tied a career high with five hits.
Scoring Recap: The Mets opened a 2-0 lead in the first inning with two unearned runs off Wright, both scoring on a two-run home run by Rene Rivera (7). The Stripers scored three runs in the top of the second off left-hander Anthony Kay to take the lead for good at 3-2. In the top of the third, Kazmar Jr. (9) blasted a two-run homer off Kay for a 5-2 lead. An RBI double by Travis Demeritte in the seventh made it 6-2. The lead grew to 10-2 in the eighth as Rafael Ortega (12) hit a two-run homer off Stephen Villines and Luis Marte dropped in a two-run single. Marte added an RBI single in the ninth to make it 11-2. Syracuse scored twice in the bottom of the ninth, but left the bases loaded to end the game.
Stripers Stats: Wright (W, 4-4) pitched a season-high 7.2 innings with two unearned runs on two hits, two walks, and 10 strikeouts. At the plate, Kazmar Jr. was 5-for-5 with a double, homer, three runs, and two RBIs. Lopez went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Marte tallied three RBIs in a 2-for-4 night. Ortega went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs.
Mets Stats: Kay (L, 0-1), making his first Triple-A start, pitched 4.0 innings with six hits and five earned runs. Rivera went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs.
Postgame Notes: Kazmar Jr. collected the third five-hit game of his career, first since August 29, 2010 with Triple-A Portland at Tacoma. The five hits were the most by a Gwinnett player since Danny Santana also had five on July 15, 2017 at Charlotte. Ortega extended his on-base streak to 23 games and hitting streak to 10 games. The Stripers recorded a season-high 17 hits including seven for extra bases. Wright retired 14 batters in a row between the second and seventh innings.
Next Game (Saturday, June 15): Gwinnett at Syracuse, 7:05 p.m. at NBT Bank Stadium. RHP Huascar Ynoa (1-1, 5.63 ERA) starts for the Stripers vs. RHP Chris Mazza (1-3, 3.86 ERA) for the Mets. 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.