CHARLOTTE, NC – The Gwinnett Stripers (52-39) defeated the Charlotte Knights (50-41) 9-3 on Friday night in game two of the four-game series at BB&T Ballpark. Adam Duvall, Rafael Ortega, and Andres Blanco each homered to help Kyle Wright to his third straight win.
Scoring Recap: The Stripers took a 2-0 lead through two innings as Duvall (27) and Ortega (17) each drilled solo home runs off Charlotte starting pitcher Justin Nicolino. The Knights cut it to 2-1 in the third on an RBI double by Luis Robert, but Gwinnett extended the lead to 3-1 in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Jack Lopez. A solo homer by Seby Zavala (13) trimmed the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth. The Stripers responded with six runs to make it 9-2, getting an RBI double from Sean Kazmar Jr. and two-run single from Pedro Florimon in a three-run sixth, and an RBI double by Ortega and two-run homer by Blanco (13) in a three-run seventh. The final run of the game came on a solo homer by Danny Mendick (11) in the bottom of the seventh.
Stripers Stats: Wright (W, 7-4) delivered a quality start as he allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out five. Ben Rowen pitched the final 2.2 innings with two strikeouts. Offensively, Duvall was 3-for-4 with a double, homer, and an RBI, Kazmar Jr. was 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, and Ortega was 3-for-5 with a double, homer, and two RBIs. Blanco and Florimon also tallied two RBIs each.
Knights Stats: Nicolino (L, 6-4) went 5.1 innings with nine hits and six earned runs. Zavala and Mendick each had two hits and a home run.
Postgame Notes: Wright is 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA (7 ER in 31.2 IP) and four quality starts over his last five outings since June 14. Duvall’s homer was his International League-leading 27th, one shy of matching Ernesto Mejia’s single-season Gwinnett record (28 in 2013). Ortega is 7-for-10 with three doubles, one home run, six runs scored, three RBIs, and one stolen base through the first two games of the series at Charlotte.
Next Game (Saturday, July 13): Gwinnett at Charlotte, 7:04 p.m. at BB&T Ballpark. RHP Mike Foltynewicz (2-1, 4.75 ERA) for the Stripers vs. RHP Odrisamer Despaigne (3-3, 3.12 ERA) for the Knights. 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.