LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Andres Blanco walked with the bases loaded to give the Gwinnett Stripers (72-51) an 8-7 walk-off win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (65-59) in 11 innings on Saturday night in front of a season-high 9,001 fans at Coolray Field. With their fourth walk-off win of the season, the Stripers raised their lead in the International League South Division to 4.5 games over both Durham (68-56) and Charlotte (68-56).
Scoring Recap: Down 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Pedro Florimon scored from second on a sacrifice fly by Lucas Duda to tie the game at 1-1. Trailing 4-1 in the sixth, Blanco (18) ended a combined no-hitter with a 381-foot solo homer off David Hernandez to cut the deficit to 4-2. Later in the sixth, an RBI ground out by Jack Lopez and two-out RBI single by Johan Camargo tied it at 4-4. Still tied in the top of the 10th, Billy Burns came in to score on a throwing error by catcher Alex Jackson to make it 5-4 RailRiders. Blanco walked with the bases loaded to tie it at 5-5 in the bottom of the 10th. In the top of the 11th, Ryan McBroom (21) hit a 386-foot two-run homer off A.J. Minter to give Scranton a 7-5 lead. In the bottom of the 11th, an RBI double by Camargo, game-tying RBI single by Florimon, and a second bases-loaded walk by Blanco gave Gwinnett the 8-7 win.
Stripers Stats: Blanco went 1-for-2 with a homer, three RBIs, and four walks. Camargo was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Starting pitcher Ian Anderson struck out seven in 7.0 innings and yielded four runs on five hits in a no-decision. Minter (W, 1-1) pitched 2.0 innings with three runs (1 ER) and four strikeouts.
RailRiders Stats: Following 1.0 perfect inning from rehabbing starter Ben Heller, Deivi Garcia struck out seven in 5.0 hitless innings. Brady Lail (L, 1-1) pitched a third of an inning and gave up three runs (2 ER) on three hits. Erik Kratz was 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs, and McBroom went 1-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs.
Quote: “I knew I had to put the ball in play,” Blanco said. “I got a good pitch but I fouled it off. I just took the rest of the pitches and got the job done.”
Postgame Notes: Ryan LaMarre went 2-for-6 to extend his on-base streak to 26 games. The Stripers drew a season-high 11 walks, including four from Blanco, the most by a Gwinnett player this season.
Next Game (Sunday, August 18): Gwinnett vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 1:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. RHP Patrick Weigel (6-2, 2.63 ERA) for the Stripers vs. RHP Adonis Rosa (4-0, 3.45 ERA) for the RailRiders. Radio Broadcast: 12:50 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.