NORFOLK, Va. – The Gwinnett Stripers (42-33) scored eight runs over the seventh and eighth innings, turning a 5-4 nail-biter into a 13-4 rout of the Norfolk Tides (28-47) on Monday night at Harbor Park. Travis Demeritte hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the fifth inning and Rafael Ortega added a grand slam in the eighth.
Scoring Recap: Trailing 3-0 after three innings, the Stripers cut the deficit to 3-1 in the fourth on an RBI double by Adam Duvall. An inning later, Gwinnett scored four times to take a 5-3 lead.Pedro Florimon tripled and scored on a single by Luis Marte, Jack Lopez tied the game with a sacrifice fly, and Demeritte (15) belted a two-run homer to left off Tom Eshelman. Norfolk trimmed the lead to 5-4 in the sixth, but the Stripers responded with four runs in the seventh to go up 9-4. Duvall, Ryan LaMarre, and Florimon all had RBI singles in the frame. In the eighth, Rafael Ortega(14) launched a grand slam off Paul Fry to make it 13-4.
Stripers Stats: Demeritte went 3-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBIs, Duvall went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, Florimon went 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs, and Ortega went 1-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs. Patrick Weigel (W, 1-1) earned his first win since June 13, 2017 at Toledo, working 5.0 innings with three runs on three hits.
Tides Stats: Eshelman (L, 2-2) yielded five runs on seven hits over 5.2 innings. Zach Vincej went 2-for-4 with a double, homer, and three RBIs.
Postgame Notes: Ortega’s grand slam was the fifth by a Striper in 2019. Gwinnett improved to 12-3 when Demeritte posts a multi-hit game this season. Lopez, the reigning International League Batter of the Week, produced his seventh multi-hit effort in his last 12 games.
Next Game (Tuesday, June 25): Gwinnett at Norfolk, 7:05 p.m. at Harbor Park. RHP Ben Rowen(4-3, 3.24 ERA) for the Stripers vs. LHP Keegan Akin (3-2, 4.29 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.