LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Louisville Bats (28-43) scored eight runs with two outs and defeated the Gwinnett Stripers (38-32) 9-5 on Wednesday night at Coolray Field.
Scoring Recap: The Bats took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a three-run home run by Rob Refsnyder (7) off Patrick Weigel. Sean Kazmar Jr. cut the deficit to 3-1 in the bottom of the first with an RBI single. The Bats scored runs in the third and fourth off Weigel to extend their lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the fourth, Connor Lien recorded his first Triple-A hit and RBI with a pinch-hit single to make it 5-2. Luis Marte scored later in the fourth on an RBI fielder’s choice by Ryan LaMarre to trim Louisville’s lead to 5-3. Trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the sixth,Alex Jackson scored on a balk and LaMarre grounded into another RBI fielder’s choice to make it a one-run game at 6-5. The Bats added three runs to put the game away, getting an RBI single from Alex Blandino in the seventh and a two-run double from Blandino in the ninth for a 9-5 final.
Stripers Stats: Weigel (L, 0-1) yielded five runs – four earned – on seven hits over 4.0 innings of work. Wes Parsons, Dan Winkler, and Ben Rowen combined to allow four runs over 5.0 innings of relief. LaMarre went 2-for-5 with two RBIs, and Jack Lopez went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Bats Stats: Tejay Antone (W, 1-0) won in his first outing with Louisville this season, striking out seven while allowing five runs on nine hits over 5.1 innings. Jimmy Herget (S, 2) struck out one over 1.2 scoreless innings. Refsnyder went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, and Blandino went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
Quote: “Tough night for us,” Stripers Manager Damon Berryhill said. “We weren’t very efficient with our pitches and they did a good job of hitting those pitches.”
Postgame Notes: Lopez extended his hitting streak to seven games with his third straight multi-hit effort. Lien recorded the first pinch-hit RBI for the Stripers this season. Gwinnett dropped to 4-17 in games without a home run in 2019.
Next Game (Thursday, June 20): Gwinnett vs. Louisville, 12:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. RHPKyle Wright (4-4, 6.02 ERA) for the Stripers vs. RHP Lucas Sims (4-0, 4.13 ERA) for the Bats. Radio Broadcast: 11:50 a.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.