Clippers Make Good on Bieber's Solid Start with Walk-Off Win
May 16, 2018 - International League (IL1)
Columbus Clippers News Release
The Columbus Clippers and Gwinnett Stripers overcame a torrential downpour, a tornado warning and a nearly two-hour delay to play game on of their three-game set tonight.
It took ten innings, but the Clippers prevailed, taking it 5-4 in walk-off fashion.
Gwinnett got on the board in the first inning against Columbus starter Shane Bieber. After a Danny Santana double, Austin Riley singled to score him, making it 1-0 early on.
Columbus roared right back, taking the lead in the bottom of the first on a Melky Cabrera two-run double.
Mike Papi added to the lead in the Clippers' half of the second with a solo shot over the right field wall, putting his squad up 3-1.
Both starters, Bieber and Gwinnett's Wes Parsons, were excellent after that, keeping each other's teams off the board through the rest of their respective outings.
Parsons was pulled after six. His final line read six innings, with three runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out eight.
Bieber was pulled in the seventh, having gone six and two-thirds frames and allowing just one run. He gave up five hits, struck out seven and didn't walk anybody.
With Parsons out of the game, the Clippers added an insurance run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. With Papi on second base, birthday boy Brandon Barnes singled to center to extend the lead to 4-1.
The Stripers fought back in the top of the eighth, loading the bases for cleanup man Carlos Franco. He unloaded a three-run double off reliever Cam Hill to knot the game at 4-4.
The game would go to extras, and the new minor league pace of play rule, which sees a runner start at second base to begin every half inning, came into play.
Gwinnett loaded the bases in the top of the tenth, but reliever Robert Zarate struck out a batter and induced a groundout to escape the jam and send the Clippers to the plate.
Columbus took advantage of the runner in scoring position in their half of the tenth. Leadoff man Yu Chang bunted a ball towards third that reliever Josh Ravin fielded and overthrew to first base, allowing Barnes to score the winning run from second.
The Clippers and Stripers will go at it again tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. at Huntington Park.
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