Stripers Fall In Extras at Pawtucket

PAWTUCKET, RI - The Gwinnett Stripers led 4-1 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Pawtucket Red Sox rallied for a 5-4 win in 11 innings on Friday night at McCoy Stadium. Mike Olt's walk-off double won it for the PawSox. 

With the loss, Gwinnett fell to 0-3 in extra innings under the new rules instituted by Minor League Baseball for 2018. 
The Stripers opened a 3-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by Dustin Peterson and two-run single by Carlos Franco. After a solo home run by Dan Butler cut the lead to 3-1 in the fifth inning, Christian Colón added an RBI single in the sixth to put Gwinnett back ahead by three at 4-1. 
That lead stood entering the eighth, until the PawSox struck for three runs. David Peterson loaded the bases on two hits and a walk, and Ramón Flores followed with an RBI single to make it a 4-2 game. Jason Hursh (BS, 1) replaced Peterson with the bases full and nobody out, and yielded a game-tying two-run single to Sam Travis. 
Hursh got a strikeout and a double play to escape the eighth with a 4-4 tie. After both teams went down in order in the ninth, the game went to extras. 
The Stripers failed to score in the top of the 10th, and Evan Phillips uncorked a wild pitch to put the winning run on third base with nobody out in the bottom of the 10th. But Phillips responded by inducing three straight pop-ups, ending the inning and sending the game to the 11th. 
Gwinnett also put a runner at third base with none out in the 11th as Rob Brantly advanced to third on a wild pitch by Ryan Brasier, but Brasier retired the next three batters to keep the game tied. 
In the bottom of the 11th, Phillips (L, 1-2) walked Travis before allowing Olt's towering double to straightaway center, ending the game. 
The loss spoiled a fantastic first Triple-A start for Andres Santiago, who tossed 5.0 innings of three-hit, one run baseball for the Stripers. He walked none and struck out three.  
Steven Wright, pitching on a rehab assignment for Pawtucket, lasted 2.2 innings and yielded three runs - two earned - on five hits before exiting due to back stiffness. Four PawSox relievers, including Brasier (W, 1-1) combined to hold Gwinnett to one run on three hits over the final 8.1 innings. 
Dustin Peterson went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Franco tallied his team-leading 11th and 12th RBIs of the year, going 1-for-4. 
Travis finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for Pawtucket. 
The Stripers (5-7) and PawSox (6-6) continue the series on Saturday night at McCoy Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Left-hander Kolby Allard (1-0, 3.72 ERA) is scheduled to start for Gwinnett, while Pawtucket will counter with left-hander Jalen Beeks (0-1, 1.13 ERA). Dave Lezotte has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM The Other Side of the River beginning at 5:45 p.m.