Smith-Shawver StrikesOut 11, But Stripers Fall 6-2 to Sounds

Sports stats



Gwinnett Stripers

Smith-Shawver StrikesOut 11, But Stripers Fall 6-2 to Sounds

September 7, 2024 - International League (IL)
Gwinnett Stripers News Release


NASHVILLE, Tennessee - AJ Smith-Shawver carved up Nashville batters for most of the night on Saturday as he struck out 11 over 7.0 innings, but a grand slam by Wes Clarke in the fourth gave the Sounds (34-26) a 6-2 victory over the Gwinnett Stripers (33-29) at First Horizon Park.

Decisive Plays: Nacho Alvarez Jr. ripped a one-out triple and scored on a two-run home run by Drake Baldwin (11) to right field as the Stripers opened up a 2-0 lead in the first inning. That lead held until the fourth, when Smith-Shawver (L, 2-6) encountered his first rough spot of the night. Two walks and a single loaded the bases, and Clarke hammered a grand slam to left field to put Nashville up 4-2. Smith-Shawver held the Sounds off the board over the next three innings, but Gwinnett never scored again. Two runs off Huascar Ynoa in the eighth made it a 6-2 final.

Key Contributors: Smith-Shawver tied his career high for innings and fell one strikeout shy of his career high (7.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 11 SO). Alvarez (1-for-4, triple, run), Baldwin (1-for-4, homer, 2 RBIs), and Luis Liberato (1-for-3, double) had the Stripers' three hits. For Nashville, Easton McGee (W, 2-2), Shane Smith (H, 1), and Ryan Middendorf combined on 5.0 scoreless innings in relief and Clarke (2-for-4, homer, 4 RBIs) drove in the decisive runs.

Noteworthy: Smith-Shawver's 7.0 innings tied his career high set on May 25, 2023 with Gwinnett vs. Durham. His career-high 104 pitches were the most thrown by a Striper this year. He also tied Gwinnett's single-game strikeout mark for the season, most recently tied by Bryce Elder the night prior (fanned 11 over 6.0 IP in a win on Friday).

Next Game (Sunday, September 8): Gwinnett at Nashville, 3:05 p.m. ET at First Horizon Park. Broadcast: 2:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com. RHP Hurston Waldrep (1-1, 4.50 ERA) for the Stripers opposite RHP Chad Patrick (12-1, 3.24 ERA) for the Sounds.

Next Home Game (Tuesday, September 10): Gwinnett vs. Buffalo, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com. It's Coolray T-Shirt Tuesday at Coolray Field, as the first 500 fans to the ballpark will receive a T-Shirt shirsey of current Atlanta Braves' third base coach and former Gwinnett manager and player Matt Tuiasosopo.

Check out the Gwinnett Stripers Statistics

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

International League Stories from September 7, 2024


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