LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - The Gwinnett Stripers came back from a three-run deficit with six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning Friday en route to a 7-4 win over the Pawtucket Red Sox in the series opener at Coolray Field.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - The Gwinnett Stripers came back from a three-run deficit with six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning Friday en route to a 7-4 win over the Pawtucket Red Sox in the series opener at Coolray Field.
Trailing 4-1, Austin Riley led off the inning with a walk and Dustin Peterson doubled to move him to third. Robby Scott then walked Carlos Franco to load the bases. Lane Adams squibbed a double down the first base line, scoring Riley and Peterson to pull the Stripers within a run.
Trevor Kelley replaced Scott and struck out the next batter, Phil Gosselin. Alex Jackson stepped up and lifted a fly ball that ricocheted off the outstretched glove of right-fielder Cole Sturgeon, allowing two runs to score and putting Jackson on third with the go-ahead triple.
Jonathan Morales and Riley added RBI singles in the eighth to bring Gwinnett's lead to 7-4. All told, the Stripers brought 11 batters to the plate in the frame, scoring six runs on six hits.
Prior to the eighth, the PawSox had led since scoring twice in the second inning against Gwinnett right-hander Touki Toussaint. Former Atlanta Brave Brandon Phillips started the inning with a single and Mike Ohlman followed suit. Former Braves farmhand Kyle Wren stepped up a batter later and hit a two-run double. Rusney Castillo's RBI double the next inning made it 3-0.
Toussaint allowed six hits and three earned runs over 5.2 innings, striking out eight in a no-decision.
Gwinnett got a much-needed run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 3-1. Peterson led off with a single and stole second. With two outs, Gosselin lifted a lazy fly to right that Sturgeon dropped, allowing Peterson to score on the error.
Pawtucket got the run back in the eighth on another Wren RBI double off Miguel Socolovich (W, 2-3), but the Stripers rallied in the bottom half.
Socolovich allowed a run on two hits in his 1.0 inning of work. Jason Hursh preceded him with 1.1 scoreless innings.
Jacob Webb (S, 6) struck out two in the final stanza to close the game.
Lefty Jalen Beeks got the start for Pawtucket and lasted only 4.2 innings despite his scoreless line, walking two and fanning seven.
Scott (L, 1-1) allowed four runs on two hits and two walks while recording just one out. Kelley (BS, 1) was charged with four hits and two earned runs.
Peterson was 2-for-5 with two runs scored on the night. Morales was also 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Luis Marté went 2-for-5, giving him six multi-hit efforts in eight games with Gwinnett.
Wren finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs on his two doubles. Phillips was 2-for-4 with two runs.
The Stripers (45-53) carry Friday's excitement into Saturday's match-up with the PawSox (45-51) in game two of the series beginning at 6:05 p.m. from Coolray Field. Right-hander Lucas Sims (4-2, 2.15 ERA) gets the start for Gwinnett, while Pawtucket will counter with righty Chandler Shepherd (4-7, 4.02 ERA). The Stripers will be giving away Mike Foltynewicz bobbleheads to the first 2,500 fans, courtesy of Coolray Heating & Cooling. Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 and 93.5 FM "The Other Side of the River" beginning at 5:35 p.m.
