Sports stats



IL1 Gwinnett Stripers

G-Braves Win Third Straight with 5-3 Win

July 28, 2012 - International League (IL1)
Gwinnett Stripers News Release


FORT MILL, SC. - The Gwinnett Braves rode the pitching of Miguel Batista and an efficient bullpen to a 5-3 win over the Charlotte Knights in game one of the four-game series at Knights' Stadium on Saturday night. The win is the third in a row for the Braves, moving them to 11.0 games back of the first place Knights in the International League South Division, as the Knights lost their third game in a row.

Charlotte broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third as Jim Gallagher lined a triple off the wall and scored as Brent Morel lashed a two-out single to right, as the Knights' took a 1-0 lead to the fourth off the right-handed starter. Miguel Batista (W, 1-0) worked five solid innings for his first win as a Braves and his first win this season since pitching the New York Mets to a 3-1 win over Milwaukee on May, 14 of this season. Batista allowed five hits, two earned runs, two walks and struck out two.

In the top of the fourth, Felix Pie (5), who on Friday hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, led off with a long solo home run to right off Charlotte starter Matt Zaleski, tying the game 1-1.

Charlotte edged back ahead in the bottom of the fifth when Josh Phegley led off with a double and moved to third on a groundout to second by Gallagher. With two outs, Drew Garcia grounded a single to left scoring Phegley, giving the Knights a 2-1 lead.

The top of the sixth was the big inning for the G-Braves. Jack Wilson singled to center with one out and would score from first on a double to deep center by Pie. The shot by Pie tied the game, 2-2, and was his eighth RBI in the last two nights, alongside his 10th RBI in his last six games. Pie then stole third and scored on a ground out to the mound by Stefan Gartrell, putting Gwinnett up 3-2. Terry Tiffee (2) followed with a solo homer to right to make it 4-2 in favor of the G-Braves.

Jose Lugo replaced Batista in the top of the sixth and gave up a two-out solo home run to Dallas McPherson, his 12th, cutting the Gwinnett lead to 4-3. However, the bullpen would not allow another Charlotte run, and the offense added insurance in the top of the eighth.

Reliever Brandon Kloess walked Pie with one out, and a throwing error on a pickoff attempt by Phegley enabled Pie to move to third. Tiffee followed with a single to center upping Gwinnett's lead to 5-3.

The McPherson homer was the lone run Lugo allowed in 2.0 innings of work, as he allowed two hits with one walk and one strikeout. Jaye Chapman pitched a scoreless eighth with one strikeout and Cory Gearrin (S, 8) closed the door in a scoreless ninth for the save, including two strikeouts.

For the Knights, Zaleski (L, 3-5) went 5.2 innings with five hits, four earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts. Kloess gave up one earned run and two hits in 2.1 innings. He walked one and struck out two. Donnie Veal pitched a scoreless ninth.

Offensively, the G-Braves were once again led by Pie, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs. Tiffee was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and has now has five straight multi-hit games. During the five games, Tiffee is 11-for-16 (.688) with two homers and six RBIs.

The G-Braves (50-59) and Knights (61-48) continue their four-game series Sunday afternoon with right-hander Julio Teheran (6-5, 5.34) starting for Gwinnett against the Knights right-hander Scott Carroll (0-0, 6.75). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Knights' Stadium with the G-Braves seeking their fourth straight win. Listen to the broadcast on WDUN AM 550/FM 102.9 in Gainesville, Georgia with Tony Schiavone calling the play by play.

Tickets for all Gwinnett Braves home games are on sale now at the Coolray Field Box Office. Call (678) 277-0340 or visit gwinnettbraves.com for more information.

Check out the Gwinnett Stripers Statistics

• Discuss this story on the International League message board...

International League Stories from July 28, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central