ROCHESTER, NY – The Gwinnett Stripers (67-47) came back from a 2-0 deficit with a four run top of the eighth to defeat the Rochester Red Wings (58-57) 4-3 Wednesday night in game two of the three-game series at Frontier Field.
Scoring Recap: The Red Wings carried a 2-0 lead to the eighth inning thanks to a solo homer in the bottom of the second by Zander Weil (20) off Kyle Wright and an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh from Caleb Hamilton. But in the top of the eighth, Andres Blanco singled to right scoring Ryan LaMarre to make it 2-1 and Pedro Florimon followed with a two-run triple to left-center for a 3-2 lead. Florimon would later score the fourth run on a wild pitch. The Red Wings made it a one run game in the bottom of the ninth on a RBI single by Brandon Barnes, but A.J. Minter (S, 3) preserved the win by striking out Alejandro De Aza with the tying run on third and the winning run on first.
Stripers Stats: Wright went 6.0 innings with five hits, one earned run and six strikeouts. Chad Sobotka (W, 2-1) went 1.1 innings with one run. Jacob Webb tossed 1.1 innings with one hit and one run. Minter got the save by recording the final out of the game. At the plate, Lucas Duda was 2-for-3 and Florimon was 1-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs.
Red Wings Stats: Starting pitcher Lewis Thorpe pitched 6.0 scoreless innings with one hit and seven strikeouts. Jeremy Bleich (L, 3-3) gave up two runs and two hits in 1.0 inning. Offensively, Ivan DeJesus Jr. was 2-for-4 with a run and De Aza was 2-for-5.
Postgame Notes: Wright tossed his sixth straight quality start. The win keeps the Stripers 2.5 games ahead of Durham in the International League South standings. The win assures the Stripers of a season series win over Rochester.
Next Game (Thursday, August 8): Gwinnett at Rochester, 7:05 p.m. at Frontier Field. RHP Touki Toussaint (1-2, 5.31 ERA) for the Stripers vs. RHP Griffin Jax (NR) for the Red Wings. 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.