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IL1 Gwinnett Stripers

Toussaint Leads Stripers to 4-3 Win in Triple-A Debut

July 5, 2018 - International League (IL1)
Gwinnett Stripers News Release


LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Right-hander Touki Toussaint pitched 6.2 innings of one-run ball in his Triple-A debut for the Gwinnett Stripers in a 4-3 victory Thursday over the Norfolk Tides at Coolray Field.

Toussaint, rated the Atlanta Braves' No. 10 prospect by MLB.com, topped out with a 97 mph fastball and also threw a mid-80s changeup and his trademark curveball as he limited the Tides to just five hits.

He got off to a bit of a rough start in the first inning as Luis Sardinas singled with one out and D.J. Stewart walked. Pedro Alvarez singled against the shift to make it 1-0 Norfolk.

Toussaint went on to retire the next 13 batters until Ruben Tejada and Cedric Mullins hit two-out singles in the fifth. Toussaint got out of the jam by getting Sardinas to ground out.

The 22-year-old Toussaint (W, 1-0) finished after 6.2 innings with three walks and five strikeouts on a season-high 104 pitches.

Gwinnett backed the young righty with runs in the third through fifth innings against right-hander Chris Tillman, pitching on a rehab assignment for the Baltimore Orioles.

In the third, the Stripers implemented small ball to produce the tying run. Sal Giardina led off with a double and moved to third on a Phil Gosselin sacrifice bunt. Rio Ruiz drove Giardina home with a groundout for a 1-1 tie.

The following inning, Tillman walked Carlos Franco to start the frame. With two outs, Xavier Avery tripled into the left field gap to make it 2-1 Gwinnett. Two more runs came home in the fifth on a pair of RBI singles by Dustin Peterson and Preston Tucker to make it 4-1.

Norfolk made a comeback attempt in the ninth against Jacob Webb. Austin Wynns led off with a single, and with two outs Sardinas doubled to bring him home. Stewart made it a one-run game with an RBI single, but Webb (S, 2) got Alvarez to pop out to end the game and Gwinnett's four-game losing streak.

Tillman (L, 0-1) went 6.0 innings with nine hits, four earned runs and two walks allowed. Francisco Jimenez pitched 2.0 scoreless innings in relief for the Tides.

Ruiz (1-for-4) singled in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, the longest for a Striper this season. Gosselin was 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Avery was 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI.

Sardinas and Alvarez were both 2-for-5 with an RBI apiece for Norfolk (44-40).

The Stripers (36-50) open a three-game series against the Charlotte Knights Friday at Coolray Field, first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Right-hander Wes Parsons (3-2, 3.52 ERA) is scheduled for Gwinnett against Charlotte righty Carson Fulmer (3-4, 5.40 ERA). Tony Schiavone will have the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM and 93.5 FM The Other Side of the River beginning at 6:35 p.m.

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International League Stories from July 5, 2018


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