LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Pedro Florimon hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to lead the Gwinnett Stripers (70-49) to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Clippers (67-52) on Tuesday night at Coolray Field. With their eighth last-at-bat win of the season, the Stripers maintained a 2.5-game lead over Durham for first place in the International League South Division.
Scoring Recap: In the top of the third, Ryan Flaherty roped a two-run double to left to give the Clippers a 2-0 advantage. Florimon got the Stripers on the board with an RBI double in the bottom of the third, cutting the deficit to 2-1. In the eighth, Florimon (10) hit a 361-foot two-run homer to right off Cam Hill to give Gwinnett a 3-2 lead.
Stripers Stats: Florimon went 2-for-4 with a double, homer, and three RBIs. Drew Waters and Jack Lopez each went 2-for-4. Starter Kyle Wright yielded two runs on two hits, walked five and struck out five over 5.0 innings in a no-decision. Jeremy Walker, Patrick Weigel (W, 6-1), and A.J. Minter (S, 5) combined for six strikeouts over 4.0 scoreless innings in relief.
Clippers Stats: Starter Michael Peoples tossed 6.0 innings of one-run ball despite allowing eight hits. Hill (BS, 1, L, 3-2) pitched 1.0 inning and gave up two runs on three hits. Flaherty went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
Quote: “I saw an opportunity with a guy on base,” Florimon said of his home run. “I was just trying to put something in play and got a changeup over the plate. We always are trying to find a way to win.”
Postgame Notes: Florimon is the eighth Gwinnett player to reach the 10-homer mark in 2019. Six of his homers have come in 28 games since the Triple-A All-Star Break, a span in which he’s batting .337 with 26 RBIs and a 1.075 OPS. Ryan LaMarre went 1-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to nine games and on-base streak to 22 games. Wright saw his team-best six-game quality start streak snapped with his first non-quality outing since June 20 vs. Louisville.
Next Game (Wednesday, August 14): Gwinnett vs. Columbus, 7:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. RHP Touki Toussaint (1-3, 6.93 ERA) for the Stripers vs. LHP Logan Allen (0-0, 8.53 ERA) for the Clippers. Radio Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on 97.7 and 93.5 FM “The Other Side of the River.”
# # #
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.