Charlotte Scores Early, Often in 12-2 Rout of Stripers

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Gwinnett Stripers (13-15) allowed season highs in runs (12) and hits (15) in a 12-2 loss to the Charlotte Knights (12-16) on Friday night at Coolray Field.

Decisive Plays: *Charlotte never trailed after Yoan Moncada’s solo home run (1) off *Huascar Ynoa in the first inning, but truly broke the game open on Blake Rutherford’s grand slam (3) off Ynoa in the fifth. Gwinnett got solo home runs from Chadwick Tromp (5) and Preston Tucker (1), but it wasn’t nearly enough to erase the early 7-0 deficit.

Key Contributors: Moncada went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and Rutherford went 1-for-5 with four RBIs to lead the way for Charlotte. Tromp and Tucker each went 1-for-3 with one RBI for the Stripers. Knights’ starter Davis Martin (W, 1-0) earned the win in his Triple-A debut, pitching 6.0 innings and yielding two runs on four hits.

Noteworthy: Tromp extended his hitting streak to nine games (.394, 13-for-33, 2 doubles, 4 homers, 8 runs, 1.235 OPS) and his RBI streak to seven games (12 RBIs). Tucker’s homer was his first with Gwinnett in 36 games dating back to 2018.

Next Game (Saturday, May 7): Gwinnett vs. Charlotte, 6:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. LHP Kyle Muller (1-1, 3.66 ERA) for the Stripers vs. LHP John Parke (1-2, 6.15 ERA) for the Knights. Radio Broadcast: 5:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. The Stripers will wear specialty jerseys for Star Wars Night (jerseys available for purchase via online auction at GoStripers.com), and the first 500 kids (age 12 and under) will receive a Baseball Giveaway.