Hicklen's Homer, Schunk's Five Hits Lead Stripers in Wild Comeback Win over Jacksonville
IL Gwinnett Stripers

Hicklen's Homer, Schunk's Five Hits Lead Stripers in Wild Comeback Win over Jacksonville

Published on April 22, 2026 under International League (IL)
Gwinnett Stripers News Release


LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia - The Gwinnett Stripers (15-8) trailed 4-0, 6-2, and 9-4 on Wednesday afternoon at Gwinnett Field, but seven unanswered runs over their final three at-bats turned the tables in a wild 11-9 win over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (11-12). Brewer Hicklen's two-run home run in the eighth inning was the difference, and Aaron Schunk's five-hit, five-RBI day was also key in the comeback.

Decisive Plays: Jacksonville stormed to a 5-0 lead over the first two innings, getting a leadoff home run from Esteury Ruiz (1), an RBI single from Brian Navarreto, and a sacrifice fly from Deyvison De Los Santos. The Stripers cut it to 5-2 in the second on an RBI single by Jose Azocar and RBI double by Luke Williams. The Jumbo Shrimp added a run to go up 6-2, but Schunk's two-run homer (5) to center made it a 6-4 game in the third. Jacksonville responded with two runs in the fourth and another in the sixth to go up 9-4. A three-run seventh highlighted by Schunk's two-run single and an RBI double by Brett Wisely brought Gwinnett to within one at 9-8. In the eighth, Hicklen's homer (2) to left field sent the Stripers ahead 10-9, and Schunk added an RBI single for insurance at 11-9.

Key Contributors: Schunk (5-for-5, double, homer, 5 RBIs), Hicklen (2-for-3, homer, 2 RBIs), and Azocar (1-for-4, 2 RBIs) combined to drive in nine of Gwinnett's 11 runs on the day. Hayden Harris (W, 1-1) threw 1.1 scoreless innings for the win, and James Karinchak (S, 3) tossed a scoreless ninth for the save. Jacksonville was led by Navarreto, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

Noteworthy: A day after the two teams combined for just one hit in Gwinnett's 2-0 win on Tuesday, the Stripers and Jumbo Shrimp tallied 20 runs on 28 hits. Schunk's five hits matched his career high set on September 10, 2025 with Triple-A Albuquerque at El Paso. His five hits were the most by a Striper in a single game since Alejo Lopez also had five on August 15, 2024 vs. Norfolk. Jim Jarvis walked twice to extend his International League-leading on-base streak to 22 games.

Next Game (Thursday, April 23): Gwinnett Stripers vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 7:05 p.m. ET at Gwinnett Field. It's Trades Day, presented by Georgia Power, as well as Throwback Thursday. Radio Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live. TV Broadcast: Peachtree Sports Network, Palmetto Sports & Entertainment.

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International League Stories from April 22, 2026


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