Homers Back Elder Gem as Stripers Roll Again in Durham

Gurriel, Lopez, Laureano all homer to support Elder’s 6.0 one-run frames in 10-1 Gwinnett victory

Yuli Gurriel finished a triple shy of the cycle on Friday night in Durham, extending his on-base streak to 23 games in the process. (Matthew Caldwell)

By Dave Lezotte (@davelezotte)

June 7, 2024

DURHAM, NC – Yuli Gurriel, Alejo Lopez, and Ramon Laureano all belted two-run homers and Bryce Elder struck out nine over 6.0 one-run innings as the Gwinnett Stripers (29-32) strolled to a 10-1 win over the Durham Bulls (28-33) on Friday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Gwinnett has outscored

DURHAM, NC – Yuli Gurriel, Alejo Lopez, and Ramon Laureano all belted two-run homers and Bryce Elder struck out nine over 6.0 one-run innings as the Gwinnett Stripers (29-32) strolled to a 10-1 win over the Durham Bulls (28-33) on Friday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Gwinnett has outscored Durham 27-4 in back-to-back wins to even the series at 2-2.

Decisive Plays: Gwinnett took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on three doubles off Tyler Alexander (L, 0-1) and never trailed. Andrew Velazquez led off the game with a double, and Gurriel and Chadwick Tromp tallied back-to-back RBI doubles with two outs. Up 2-1 in the sixth, the Stripers pulled away on Gurriel’s two-run shot (2) near the famous Bull sign down the left-field line and an RBI single by Skye Bolt. In the eighth, long homers to left-center by Lopez (2) and Laureano (2) keyed a five-run frame that made it 10-1.

Key Contributors: Elder (W, 4-1) held Durham to one unearned run on four hits over 6.0 innings and struck out nine. Parker Dunshee (S, 2) went the final 3.0 innings with no runs on two hits and four strikeouts. For the second straight night, every member of the Gwinnett lineup had at least one hit, led by Gurriel (3-for-5, double, homer, 3 RBIs), Laureano (2-for-5, double, homer, 2 RBIs), Tromp (2-for-5, 2 doubles, RBI), and Lopez (1-for-4, homer, 2 RBIs).

Noteworthy: Gwinnett’s nine extra-base hits were a season-high and just one short of the club record (10 on August 2, 2019 vs. Charlotte). Gurriel fell a triple shy of the cycle and extended his on-base streak to 23 games. Lopez extended his on-base streak to 14 games, and Velazquez extended his hitting streak to a team-best 10 games. Elder, over his last two starts, is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA (2 ER in 14.0 IP), 0.86 WHIP, .160 BAA, and 20 strikeouts.

Next Game (Saturday, June 8): Gwinnett at Durham, 6:35 p.m. ET at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Broadcast: 6:20 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com. LHP Dylan Dodd (2-5, 4.26 ERA) starts for the Stripers opposite RHP Shane Baz (0-3, 6.20 ERA) for the Bulls.

Next Home Game (Tuesday, June 11): Gwinnett vs. Nashville, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. It will be another Coolray T-Shirt Tuesday at Coolray Field, as the first 500 fans can collect a "Xolos de Gwinnett" Shirsey featuring reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr.