Gwinnett Builds Early 4-0 Lead, Holds off Jacksonville to Win 5-4 

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. –Kolby Allard struck out five in his second rehab start for the Atlanta Braves, and a four-run first inning put Gwinnett ahead comfortably early on, but a valiant comeback effort from the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (31-41) ran out of steam as the Stripers (32-41) held on to win 5-4 on Friday night at Coolray Field.

Decisive Plays: The Stripers struck for four in the first inning as Vaughn Grissom singled in a run, Braden Shewmake hit a sacrifice fly, and Yolmer Sanchez homered (4) for the second straight day, bringing Jesus Aguilar with him to make it 4-0. Jacksonville chipped away and made it 4-2 in the second on singles from Xavier Edwards and Jazz Chisholm Jr. In a 5-3 game in the seventh, Dane Myers singled in a run to make it 5-4. Grant Holmes (S, 4) recorded the save in the ninth to lock down the 5-4 win.

Key Contributors: Sanchez (1-for-4, homer, 2 RBIs) sent his two-run blast 423 feet to center and Grissom (2-for-4, RBI) collected his third multi-hit effort of the series in four games. For Jacksonville, Edwards (2-for-4, double, 2 RBIs) led off the game with a double and drove in a pair of runs. Chisholm (2-for-5, RBI) and Myers (2-for-5, RBI) each drove in a run as well.

Noteworthy: Grissom recorded his team-leading 19^th multi-hit game with a two-hit outing. Forrest Wall stole his 44^th base of the season, placing him just two away from the single-season Gwinnett record set by Luis Durango (46 in 2012). With the win, the Stripers are now 9-8 in 1-run games.

Next Game (Saturday, June 24): Gwinnett vs. Jacksonville, 6:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 5:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. LHP Justus Sheffield (0-2, 14.85 ERA) for the Stripers against RHP Jeff Lindgren (6-2, 4.55 ERA) for Jacksonville. The Stripers are giving away special Matt Olson “Hometown” Braves Bobbleheads to the first 2,000 fans at Coolray Field (presented by Coca-Cola).