Four-Run Second Sinks Elder, Stripers in Jacksonville

Bryce Elder falls short in bid for 11th win as Gwinnett loses 5-3 to Jumbo Shrimp

Drake Baldwin went 2-for-4 with an RBI double for Gwinnett on Saturday in Jacksonville. (lsmael Caro)

By Dave Lezotte (@davelezotte)

September 21, 2024

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (72-76) struck for four runs on five hits in the second inning against Bryce Elder and rode that frame to a 5-3 win over the Gwinnett Stripers (72-77) on Saturday night at 121 Financial Ballpark. Bennett Hostetler homered and drove in three for

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (72-76) struck for four runs on five hits in the second inning against Bryce Elder and rode that frame to a 5-3 win over the Gwinnett Stripers (72-77) on Saturday night at 121 Financial Ballpark. Bennett Hostetler homered and drove in three for the Jumbo Shrimp, who denied Elder his 11^th win of the year in the second-to-last game of the season.

Decisive Plays: The Stripers opened the scoring on an RBI double by Luke Williams in the top of the second, but the 1-0 lead was erased by Jacksonville’s four-run bottom of the second against Elder. Gwinnett whittled the deficit to 4-3 in the fourth. Andrew Velazquez doubled and stole home on the back half of a double steal with Williams, and Drake Baldwin ripped an RBI double to right scoring Williams. Hostetler homered off Allan Winans in the sixth to push the Jumbo Shrimp lead to 5-3. A walk by Williams and single by Yolbert Sanchez put the tying runs on in the ninth, but Anthony Maldonado (S, 5) retired the next three batters in order.

Key Contributors: Williams (2-for-4, double, RBI) and Baldwin (2-for-4, double, RBI) combined to drive in two of Gwinnett’s three runs. Elder (L, 10-6) struck out three over 5.0 innings (6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB). For Jacksonville, Hostetler went 2-for-4 (double, homer, 3 RBIs) and Yonny Chirinos (W, 10-6) tossed 5.0 innings (8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO).

Noteworthy: Elder finishes with 10 wins, tied for the fourth-most in a single season by a Gwinnett pitcher all-time. Baldwin’s multi-hit effort boosted his season average to .295, while Nacho Alvarez Jr. went 2-for-3 to raise his average to .297. Williams (18), Velazquez (33), and J.P. Martinez (37) all had stolen bases.

Next Game (Sunday, September 22): Gwinnett at Jacksonville, 2:05 p.m. ET at 121 Financial Ballpark. Broadcast: 1:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (2-6, 4.92 ERA) for the Stripers vs. LHP Jonathan Bermudez (1-2, 6.46 ERA) for the Jumbo Shrimp.