Anderson Delivers Pinch-Hit Heroics to Walk-Off Columbus 2-1

Brian Anderson provides game-winning RBI in the ninth inning as Stripers claim low-scoring duel

Brian Anderson celebrates with his Stripers teammates after delivering the first pinch-hit walk-off RBI of the season for Gwinnett.

By Jack Johnson (@jackjohnson25)

August 30, 2024

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – Brian Anderson stepped off the bench and came through in the clutch with a pinch-hit RBI single to center field to send the Gwinnett Stripers (30-25) to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Clippers (36-18) on Friday night at Coolray Field. All four games in this series

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – Brian Anderson stepped off the bench and came through in the clutch with a pinch-hit RBI single to center field to send the Gwinnett Stripers (30-25) to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Clippers (36-18) on Friday night at Coolray Field. All four games in this series have been decided by one run.

Decisive Plays: Drue Hackenberg opened with 4.0 scoreless innings before running into trouble in the fifth inning, where Columbus capitalized on an outfield mistake by Andrew Velazquez to stir a two-out rally and take a 1-0 lead on an RBI single from Angel Martinez. Gwinnett tied the game on an RBI single by Nacho Alvarez Jr. in the sixth. With the bases loaded and the Clippers threatening, Domingo Gonzalez (W, 2-2) got two popouts in the top of the ninth to keep the score at 1-1. Anderson muscled a flare that fell into shallow center field, scoring Velazquez and sending Gwinnett to a walk-off victory.

Key Contributors: Anderson (1-for-1, 1 RBI) made the largest impact of the night with one plate appearance while Alvarez Jr. (1-for-4, RBI) had the other RBI for Gwinnett. On the mound, Hackenberg (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 1 SO) struggled with command but worked a quality start in his debut. For Columbus, Martinez had the lone RBI while Connor Gillispie (4.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO) kept the Stripers in check for the first half of the game.

Noteworthy: Anderson became the first Striper to deliver a pinch-hit walk-off RBI this year, and the 51^st different player in Gwinnett history to provide a walk-off hit. The Stripers stole four bases tonight to push their season total to 186 steals, just four behind the single-season club record of 190 set in 2023.

Next Game (Saturday, August 31): Gwinnett vs. Columbus, 6:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 5:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. RHP Bryce Elder (9-3, 3.65 ERA) will start for Gwinnett opposed by LHP Joey Cantillo (1-1, 2.97 ERA) for Columbus. The Stripers will giveaway Spencer Strider Bobble Gnomes to the first 2,000 fans at Coolray Field.