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IL1 Gwinnett Stripers

G-Braves Two-hit by Norfolk, Lose 4-1

July 7, 2015 - International League (IL1)
Gwinnett Stripers News Release


LAWRENCEVILLE, GA - Two singles and a sacrifice fly were the extent of the Gwinnett Braves' (42-43) offense on Tuesday in a series-opening 4-1 loss to the Norfolk Tides (48-35) at Coolray Field.

The G-Braves have now lost five games in a row and are below the .500 mark for the first time since June 28 when they were 37-38.

Norfolk right-handed starter Michael Bowden (W, 7-2) dominated the G-Braves in his 7.0 innings of work. He allowed nothing more than a one-out single to Daniel Castro in the third inning. Bowden threw 82 pitches (59 strikes), did not walk a batter and struck out five to lower his International League-leading ERA to 1.96.

Castro also provided the G-Braves with their only run of the night when he hit a sacrifice fly to center field in the bottom of the eighth. Cedric Hunter scored on the play after he led off the frame with a single against left-handed reliever Wesley Wright, who is on a Major League rehab assignment for the Baltimore Orioles.

Wright finished the eighth without another hit allowed. Right-hander Pedro Beato (S, 6) struck out the first batter he faced and set the G-Braves down in order to finish the game. The three Norfolk hurlers combined to hold Gwinnett to two hits, which is their lowest single-game total of the season.

Gwinnett initially fell behind for the seventh straight game when Norfolk scored a run in the top of the second inning. Right-handed starter Kanekoa Texeira (L, 0-3) gave up three straight hits to open the frame. The third was a line drive to left field from Sean Halton that drove home Dariel Alvarez.

A one-out triple by Julio Borbon in the fifth inning led to the Tides' second run. He crossed home plate on a sacrifice fly to center field by Paul Janish to extend Norfolk's lead to 2-0.

Texeira gave up three hits in each of the innings that Norfolk scored, but otherwise he was superb. He allowed two other hits in 6.2 innings with two earned runs, no walks and five strikeouts in 88 pitches (53 strikes).

Left-handed reliever Mitch Lambson recorded the final out of the seventh inning in his debut with the G-Braves, but he gave up two solo home runs in the span of three batters to begin the eighth. Rey Navarro led off the inning with his second homer of the year, and Dariel Alvarez launched his 13th homer with one out.

Fellow left-hander Andrew McKirahan gave up two singles but did not allow a run in the ninth. He struck out one batter in his lone inning of work.

Eight of the nine batters in the Norfolk lineup had at least one hit. Alvarez led the way with a 3-for-4 performance that included his home run, an RBI and two runs scored. Henry Urrutia finished 2-for-5, and Navarro was 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.

The G-Braves and Tides will play the middle game of their three-game series at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday at Coolray Field. Left-hander Greg Smith (3-3, 2.52 ERA) will take the mound for Gwinnett against right-hander Mike Wright (4-0, 3.07 ERA) of Norfolk. Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM and WSBRadio.com beginning at 6 p.m.

The game will feature Baseball Bingo, when fans can follow the on-field action for a chance to win great prizes on "Winning Wednesday." Kids ages 12 and under will also receive a voucher for a free hot dog, chips and soft drink when they enter the stadium. To purchase tickets, call the Coolray Field Ticket Office at 678-277-0340 or visit GwinnettBraves.com/tickets.

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