Sports stats

IL1 Gwinnett Stripers

Gwinnett Defeats Lehigh Valley 8-2, 4-1

May 27, 2015 - International League (IL1)
Gwinnett Stripers News Release


LAWRENCEVILLE, GA - Gwinnett Braves' catcher Wil Nieves delivered a three-run double with two outs in the penultimate inning of a seven-inning contest Wednesday to propel the G-Braves (21-25) to their second win of the day over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (18-29) at Coolray Field.

Nieves knocked a pitch from Lehigh Valley left-handed starter Joely Rodriguez (L, 2-4) into the right-field corner, clearing the bases to put the G-Braves ahead 4-1. Gwinnett had loaded the bases on two walks (one intentional) and a bunt single.

Right-handed reliever Aaron Kurcz (S, 6) gave up a one-out double in the seventh, but struck out two batters to preserve the win.

Jose Peraza made his first start of the season in center field in game two and drove in the G-Braves' first run of the game in the third inning. His two-out single to right field drove home Mycal Jones, who reached base on a leadoff walk from Rodriguez.

Gwinnett right-handed starter Sugar Ray Marimon (W, 3-2) allowed just one run on the night, a game-tying RBI double by Domonic Brown in the fourth. Marimon did not give up a hit outside of the fourth, finishing with two walks and seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.

Prior to their win in the nightcap, the G-Braves beat the IronPigs 8-2 in a game the teams picked up in the second inning. The game was originally suspended by rain on Monday, and resumed action was postponed by rain on Tuesday.

Rain started to fall in the second inning Monday and interrupted a three-run rally for Gwinnett. Sean Kazmar drilled a double off of the right-field wall to score Adonis Garcia and give the G-Braves a 1-0 lead. Barrett Kleinknecht reached on an infield single to drive in Cedric Hunter when play resumed Wednesday. Kazmar scored on the next play when Braeden Schlehuber grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

Each of those runs were charged to IronPigs' left-handed starter Anthony Vasquez (L, 1-1), although the G-Braves scored their final two runs of the inning with right-hander Tyler Knigge on the mound, as he took over for Vasquez after the rain delay. Vasquez faced three batters in the second inning but did not record an out. He finished with 1.0 inning pitched and three runs allowed on three hits with two strikeouts.

Lehigh Valley got one of the runs back on three hits in the third inning against G-Braves' right-hander Chien-Ming Wang (W, 2-4), who entered the game when play resumed in relief of right-handed starter Matt Wisler. The Gwinnett starter gave up two first-inning hits and struck out one batter in 2.0 innings.

The second run Wang allowed came in the eighth inning on a leadoff home run to right-center field by Asche. Wang gave up nine hits, overall, in his 7.0 innings of work to finish the game. He walked one and struck out two.

Kleinknecht also launched a two-run home run to left field in the sixth inning against right-handed reliever Chris Leroux that extended Gwinnett's lead to 8-1. He finished the first game 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, including the G-Braves' lone run in the fourth inning on a base hit by Eury Perez.

Perez went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases to increase his International League-leading total in that department to 24. He pinch hit for Marimon in the sixth inning of the second game and drew a leadoff walk to start the game-winning rally. Peraza was the only G-Braves batter with multiple hits in the second game. He went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Asche led all Lehigh Valley hitters with three hits in four at-bats and the RBI from his homer. He was the only IronPigs batter with more than one hit.

On the mound, Knigge allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with one strikeout and a hit batsman in 2.0 innings, and Leroux gave up three runs on six hits with two strikeouts. Right-hander Hector Neris pitched the final 2.0 innings for Lehigh Valley and allowed nothing more than a single to Hunter in the seventh. He also struck out three batters.

The G-Braves and IronPigs will finish their four-game series with a doubleheader Thursday. The first of two seven-inning games is scheduled to begin at 5:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. Left-hander Manny Banuelos (3-0, 2.64 ERA) will start the opener for the G-Braves, while Lehigh Valley will send righty Phillippe Aumont (2-1, 1.64 ERA) to the mound. Gwinnett will start right-hander Kanekoa Texeira (0-2, 6.75 ERA) in game two, while the IronPigs will go with right-handed starter Jason Berken (3-2, 4.29 ERA). Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM and WSBRadio.com beginning at 4:30 p.m.

It will also be a Triple Play Thursday when fans can purchase a four-pack of tickets with four hot dogs and four soft drinks for $40. To purchase tickets, call the Coolray Field Ticket Office at 678-277-0340 or visit GwinnettBraves.com/tickets.

Check out the Gwinnett Stripers Statistics



International League Stories from May 27, 2015


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.

Other Recent Gwinnett Stripers Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central