IL1 Gwinnett Stripers

G-Braves Come One Strike Shy, Lose 5-4

Published on May 15, 2015 under International League (IL1)
Gwinnett Stripers News Release


LAWRENCEVILLE, GA - The Gwinnett Braves (16-19) were one strike away from a victory Friday at Coolray Field, but Eugenio Suarez blasted a three-run home run over the left-field fence to instead give the Louisville Bats (15-20) a 5-4 win.

Gwinnett right-handed reliever John Cornely (L, 2-1) began the final inning with a walk to Yorman Rodriguez. He struck out former G-Braves' outfielder Jose Constanza, but walked Chris Dominguez. Cornely also struck out Hernan Iribarren and was ahead of Suarez with a 1-2 count before allowing the homer.

Cedric Hunter drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the ninth against Bats' reliever Carlos Contreras (S, 1), but the right-hander struck out the other three batters he faced to close out the game.

The G-Braves had taken a 4-2 lead over the Bats in the bottom of the eighth inning against right-hander Pedro Villarreal. Eury Perez led off with a double, stole his International League-leading 19th base to reach third and scored on a single by Adonis Garcia. After a single by Wil Nieves put runners at the corners, Sean Kazmar added a sacrifice fly scoring Garcia. Villarreal (W, 1-0) worked only the 1.0 inning with two runs allowed on three hits and a strikeout.

Gwinnett had also jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning when right-handed starting pitcher Matt Wisler slashed a two-out single into right field to score Kazmar and Joe Benson. The hit was Wisler's second of the season and produced the first two RBIs of his five-year career.

The reigning IL Pitcher of the Week and the Atlanta Braves' No. 2 prospect according to MLB.com, Wisler also held the Bats scoreless on three hits, a walk and four strikeouts through the first 5.0 innings before he ran into trouble in the sixth. He gave up three hits and a walk in the sixth inning alone, as back-to-back run-scoring singles by Ramon Cabrera and Ryan LaMarre tied the game 2-2.

Right-hander David Carpenter came in to retire Rodriguez to end the inning. Wisler finished the night with 5.2 innings pitched, two runs allowed (one earned) on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 93 pitches, 60 of which were strikes. Carpenter also struck out the side in the seventh inning. He finished his 1.1 innings with one hit given up and three strikeouts. He has struck out five of the last 10 batters he's faced across his last two outings.

Neither team had more than one baserunner in any of the first four innings. Louisville right-handed starter Jon Moscot held the G-Braves to a single in both the first and second innings before he retired seven hitters in a row. He returned to form after Gwinnett's two-run fifth inning and did not allow a run in his final 2.0 innings of work. Overall, he went 7.0 innings with two runs allowed on seven hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

For Gwinnett, Garcia went 2-for-4 with his team-leading 21st RBI of the year, while Wisler finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs. Kazmar extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a 1-for-3 night that included his third RBI.

Suarez also had a double in the first inning as part of his 2-for-5 night, and Bats' catcher Cabrera went 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

Gwinnett and Louisville will meet again at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Coolray Field for the middle game of their three-game series. Right-hander Kanekoa Texeira (0-2, 12.00 ERA) will make his first start of the season for the G-Braves after returning from the disabled list today. Righty Dylan Axelrod (1-3, 3.57 ERA) will start for the Bats. Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM and WSBRadio.com beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The first 2,000 fans in attendance Saturday will receive a G-Braves' Fleece Blanket courtesy of Coolray Heating and Cooling. It's also "Clue Night," as fans will be able to try to solve an entertaining mystery while watching the game. To purchase tickets, call the Coolray Field Ticket Office at 678-277-0340 or visit GwinnettBraves.com/tickets.

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International League Stories from May 15, 2015


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