LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – A two-out, two-run single by Luis Marte in the eighth inning gave the Gwinnett Stripers (39-32) a 7-6 win over the Louisville Bats (28-44) on Thursday afternoon at Coolray Field.
Scoring Recap: Trailing 2-0 after two innings, the Stripers tied it up at 2-2 in the third on a two-run double by Travis Demeritte. Louisville regained the lead at 4-2 in the top of the fourth on RBI singles by Stuart Turner and Lucas Sims. In the bottom of the fourth, Gwinnett scored three runs to go ahead 5-4. Connor Lien was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Marte grounded into a run-scoring double play, and Kyle Wright followed with an RBI single. In the seventh, an RBI single by Nick Longhi and RBI fielder’s choice by Brian O’Grady put Louisville up 6-5. The Stripers took a 7-6 lead in the eighth as Marte lofted a two-run single to shallow right, scoringJonathan Morales and Jack Lopez.
Stripers Stats: Demeritte went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs, and Marte went 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Wright tossed 4.0 innings and yielded four runs – three earned – on five hits in a no-decision. Jonathan Aro (W, 2-0) pitched 2.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen and stranded two baserunners in the ninth.
Bats Stats: Sims, a Lawrenceville native and former Striper, yielded five runs over 3.0 innings in a no-decision. Sal Romano (BS, 3, L, 2-7) suffered his second blown save and loss of the series, allowing two runs over 1.0 inning. Josh VanMeter went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, and Scott Schebler went 1-for-3 with a homer (3) and one RBI.
Quote: “That took some character,” Demeritte said. “We can’t get too high or too low and that was a good win for us.”
Postgame Notes: The game included a 50-minute rain delay in the bottom of the fourth. The Stripers move to 5-17 in games without a home run this season. Lopez went 2-for-2 with a double to extend his hitting streak to eight games and multi-hit streak to four games.
Next Game (Friday, June 21): Gwinnett vs. Syracuse, 7:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. RHP Bryse Wilson (3-6, 4.11 ERA) for the Stripers vs. TBD for the Mets. 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.