NORFOLK, VA – The Gwinnett Stripers (47-35) drilled four homers and got a stellar pitching performance in an 8-1 win over the Norfolk Tides (32-51) Monday night at Harbor Park. Rafael Ortega, Ryan LaMarre, Jack Lopez, and Travis Demeritte all went deep in the win for Gwinnett.
Scoring Recap: Ortega (16) and LaMarre (5) led off the top of the second with back-to-back solo homers off Norfolk starter Matt Wotherspoon. Later in the inning, Lopez (6) connected with a three-run shot to give the Stripers a 5-0 lead. The Tides only run came in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Jesus Sucre off Wes Parsons to cut the lead to 5-1. In the top of the ninth, an RBI single by Andres Blanco and a two-run homer by Demeritte (16) off reliever Luis Gonzalez capped the scoring for the night.
Stripers Stats: Patrick Weigel gave up only one hit with no walks and recorded a season-high nine strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work. Parsons (W, 2-1) went 2.2 innings with one earned run and two strikeouts. Grant Dayton pitched 2.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. At the plate, Demeritte went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs. Lopez went 1-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs.
Tides Stats: Wotherspoon (L, 2-2) pitched 3.2 innings and yielded five runs on six hits. Former Gwinnett pitchers Sean Gilmartin and Evan Phillips combined for 4.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts out of the Norfolk bullpen. Gonzalez allowed three runs on five hits in 1.0 inning of work. Sucre was 2-for-3 offensively for the Tides and drove in the only run.
Postgame Notes: The Stripers added four more to their Gwinnett single season homer record which now stands at 129. Ortega’s 2-for-5 night extends his hitting streak to 10 games. LaMarre is now on a season-high eight-game hitting streak and Marte’s hitting streak grows to seven games.
Next Game (Tuesday July 2): Gwinnett at Norfolk, 7:05 p.m. at Harbor Park. RHP Huascar Ynoa (1-1, 6.85 ERA) for the Stripers. RHP Luis Ortiz (2-7, 6.75 ERA) for the Tides. 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.