IL1 Gwinnett Stripers

Gwinnett splits doubleheader with Charlotte

July 6, 2012 - International League (IL1)
Gwinnett Stripers News Release


FORT MILL, SC. - The Gwinnett Braves and Charlotte Knights split a Thursday night doubleheader at Knights' Stadium. In game one, the G-Braves ran their winning streak to four with a come-from-behind 4-3 win as part of the July 3 postponed game from Coolray Field. However, the Knights ended the four-game streak in game two with an 8-0 shutout of Gwinnett.

The G-Braves took four of six from the first place Knights in the six-game home-and-home series. Gwinnett is eight games back of Charlotte in the International League South standings.

Game one of a suspended game in Lawrenceville, the game resumed scoreless in the bottom of the second with the G-Braves acting as the home team.

The Knights got on the board first with a run in the top of the fourth as back-to-back doubles by Tyler Kuhn and Jim Gallagher that staked Charlotte to a 1-0 lead off reliever Eric Junge. Junge entered the game in the third for Julio Teheran who had started the original game on July 3. Junge (W, 5-8) picked up the win in seven innings of relief, as he allowed 11 hits and three earned runs while walking two and striking out five. Junge gave the G-Braves a gritty 125-pitch performance, 81 for strikes. Teheran worked two scoreless innings and allowed one walk.

With one out in the bottom of the ninth of tie game, Ruben Gotay reached first on an error by Olmedo at third, then J.C. Boscan walked and Durango followed with a single off reliever Donnie Veal. Jose Constanza was the hero as he poked a one-out infield single with the bases loaded that scored Gotay from third with the winning run.

In the bottom of the fourth, Felix Pie led off with a triple to right and scored on a single to left by Josh Wilson, tying the game 1-1.

Ray Olmedo led off the top of the seventh with a double and would later score on a single by Justin Greene to put the Knights up 2-1. Greene then stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a single by Kuhn, giving Charlotte a 3-1 lead in the middle of the seventh.

In the G-Braves bottom of the eighth, Luis Durango led off with a single off Charlotte's Charlie Shirek. With one out, Tyler Pastornicky hit a grounder to Knights' second baseman Drew Garcia that looked to be a perfect double play ball, however Garcia bobbled the ball and was only able to get one out, forcing Pastornicky out at first. The miscue opened the door for Ernesto Mejia (17) who pounded a two run home run to center to tie the game, 3-3. Mejia's two-run blast gives him a team-leading 57 RBI and 17 home runs on the season.

At the plate for Gwinnett; Durango, Constanza and Mejia each had two hits in game one for the Braves, as Constanza has now hit safely in 12-straight games.

For Charlotte, Kuhn, Garcia, Gallagher and Olmedo each had two hits in the continued game.

The G-Braves were held scoreless by starting pitcher Scott Olsen and the Knights' bullpen to begin the second game. However, Charlotte scored a run in the first and a run in the second off G-Braves' starter Buddy Carlyle. They would add three in the fifth off Billy Bullock and three more in the sixth off Adam Russell for an 8-0 win and a split of the two games on Thursday night. Carlyle (L, 4-3) went four innings in his first start of the season, giving up four hits and one earned run while walking one and striking out three. Bullock gave up four hits and three earned runs in his one inning of work while walking two. Russell gave up three hits and three earned runs in the sixth with one strikeout.

Charlie Leesman started game one for the Knights, and worked just one inning on Tuesday. Charlie Shirek came in for 6.2 innings of relief, giving up seven hits and three earned runs with two walks and four strikeouts. Donnie Veal (L, 3-3) pitched 0.2 of an inning with two hits and one unearned run, while he walked one in the loss.

Olsen worked two innings with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts, meanwhile Brandon Kloess (W, 1-0) picked up the win by going three innings in relief with three hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Anthony Carter pitched two scoreless innings with two hits and three strikeouts.

Jose Yepez was 2-for-3 and the only G-Brave to record a multiple-hit game.

Kuhn, Connor Jackson and Hector Gimenez each had two hits and Garcia had three hits in game two, as the Charlotte second baseman went 5-for-7 total in the doubleheader.

The Gwinnett Braves (41-48) return to Coolray Field Friday night for game one of a three-game series against the Durham Bulls to conclude the first half of the season prior to the 2012 All-Star break. Right-hander Todd Redmond (6-5, 3.23) is scheduled for the G-Braves against the Bulls right-hander Matt Torra (7-6, 4.43) with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM. The game will be broadcast on WDUN 550 AM and 102.9 FM in Gainesville, GA with Tony Schiavone calling the play-by-play.

Stick around after the game for our Independence Day show following the Bulls and G-Braves contest. It will be the biggest and longest Fox 5 Friday Fireworks spectacular of the year! Celebrate Fourth of July with the G-Braves, as every fan in the stands will receive free thundersticks presented by 12 Stone.

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.

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International League Stories from July 6, 2012


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