SL1 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Suns Beat Braves in Opener, 4-3

Published on August 29, 2013 under Southern League (SL1)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp News Release


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville Suns (37-28, 71-61) earned a crucial win in the opener of a five-game series against the Mississippi Braves (36-29, 74-61), rallying from behind for a 4-3 win at Bragan Field.

Chris Gutierrez, who entered the game for an injured Derek Dietrich, finished 3-for-3 and collected what proved to be the game-winning hit in the seventh inning as Jacksonville put itself a game in front of the Braves in the Southern League South division.

"This win was huge," said Suns manager Andy Barkett following the win. "We came out tonight and played with energy. It was really satisfying for our team."

The Suns jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning facing Mississippi right-hander Michael Lee. Dietrich singled home Jacksonville's first run and came around to score himself on J.T. Realmuto's two-out hit. Dietrich, however, experienced discomfort running the bases and was forced to leave the contest.

"I'm not sure whether it was an oblique or something with his back," Barkett said of Dietrich's injury. "We'll evaluate him tomorrow and see how he feels."

Facing Suns starter Andrew Heaney, the Braves stormed back to tie the game in the fifth on Mycal Jones' two-run single. Heaney then surrendered the lead in the sixth, allowing a runscoring double by Robby Hefflinger to give Mississippi a 3-2 lead.

Realmuto tied the game again with his second RBI in the sixth, sending the game to the seventh knotted at three. In the bottom half of the frame, Gutierrez came to the plate with Brent Keys on second and lined a double to right, putting Jacksonville ahead for good.

Right-hander Nick Wittgren navigated through a scoreless eighth, and Michael Brady earned his 22nd save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.

The Suns, attempting to inch closer to a South division title, will send right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (5-4, 3.71) to the mound in game two of the five-game series. Mississippi will counter with lefty Ian Thomas (7-8, 2.84), with first pitch scheduled for 705 p.m. ET.

Suns fans can listen to Friday's game on the Suns Baseball Network, 94.1 WSOS-FM or through jaxsuns.com, MiLB.com or the Suns iPhone or Android app, beginning at 6:50 p.m. ET with the UF Health Suns Pre-Game Show.

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Southern League Stories from August 29, 2013


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