Dodd Delivers Gem in Relief as Stripers Win Thriller
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Atlanta Braves No. 15 prospect Dylan Dodd worked a masterful 6.2 innings of relief for the Gwinnett Stripers (4-3), who surged back from a 3-0 first-inning deficit for a dramatic 6-5 victory over the Louisville Bats (4-3) on Friday night at Coolray Field. Decisive Plays: For the
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Atlanta Braves No. 15 prospect Dylan Dodd worked a masterful 6.2 innings of relief for the Gwinnett Stripers (4-3), who surged back from a 3-0 first-inning deficit for a dramatic 6-5 victory over the Louisville Bats (4-3) on Friday night at Coolray Field.
Decisive Plays: For the first time all series, Louisville got on the board first with a three-run first inning against Stripers' starter AJ Smith-Shawver. It was not long before the Stripers tied it up, as Alejo Lopez singled in a run in the second and Luke Williams doubled in a pair to make it 3-3. After Leury Garcia hit a RBI sacrifice fly to make it 4-3 Gwinnett in the third, Sandy Leon followed with a two-run single to give the Stripers six unanswered runs. Dodd's remarkable relief outing held that score until the ninth, when Louisville struck for a pair to cut it to 6-5. Grant Holmes (S, 1) entered to get the final out with the tying run at third, and he struck out Michael Trautwein on an overturned ABS challenge.
Key Contributors: Dodd (win, 6.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO) worked 6.2 scoreless innings of relief for Gwinnett until the ninth inning. Leon (2-for-3, 2 RBIs), and Williams (2-for-3, double, 2 RBIs) both posted multi-RBI nights while Lopez (3-for-4, double, RBI) had a game-high three hits. For Louisville, P.J. Higgins (2-for-4, 2 doubles) and Rece Hinds (1-for-4, double, 2 RBIs) had big nights.
Noteworthy: Dodd ended his night just one out shy from tying the Gwinnett record for longest relief outing of 7.0 innings, last thrown by Casey Kelly on May 16, 2016 vs. Durham. After being 0-3 in such situations entering the night, Gwinnett won its first one-run game of the season. The last pitch of the game was initially called a ball, before an ABS challenge confirmed a strikeout to give the Stripers the victory, the first such finish in Coolray Field history.
Next Game (Saturday, April 6): Gwinnett vs. Louisville, 6:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. RHP Bryce Elder (1-0, 0.00 ERA) for the Stripers vs. RHP Lyon Richardson (0-0, 0.00 ERA) for the Bats. Broadcast: 5:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. The Gwinnett Stripers are celebrating 15 seasons of Triple-A baseball at Coolray Field, and to commemorate the occasion the team is giving away 15th Anniversary T-Shirts (presented by Coolray Heating & Cooling) to the first 1,750 fans at Coolray Field. Tickets are on sale now at GoStripers.com.