Late Stripers Surge Not Enough in 8-7 Loss to Norfolk

Gwinnett nearly erases six-run deficit but sees five-game winning streak snapped by Tides

Drake Baldwin turned in a three-RBI performance and clocked his eighth home run of the season on Sunday. (Josh Conner)

By Jack Johnson (@jackjohnson25)

August 18, 2024

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – A four-run seventh inning and a two-run home run by Drake Baldwin in the ninth were not enough to complete a spirited comeback effort from the Gwinnett Stripers (23-22) as the Norfolk Tides (20-25) held on to hand Gwinnett an 8-7 loss on Sunday afternoon at Coolray

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – A four-run seventh inning and a two-run home run by Drake Baldwin in the ninth were not enough to complete a spirited comeback effort from the Gwinnett Stripers (23-22) as the Norfolk Tides (20-25) held on to hand Gwinnett an 8-7 loss on Sunday afternoon at Coolray Field. The Stripers won the series 5-1.

Decisive Plays: TT Bowens and Hudson Haskin drove in a pair of runs in the second inning to give the Tides a 2-0 lead. A solo home run (12) by Yuli Gurriel got Gwinnett on the board in the bottom of the inning. Norfolk pulled away with a two-run fifth inning and a two-run sixth inning to lead 6-1. Trailing 7-1, the Stripers battled for a four-run seventh inning that featured a three-run triple from Alejo Lopez. An RBI single from David Bañuelos gave the Tides an insurance run at 8-5 in the eighth. A two-run home run (8) from Baldwin in the ninth made it 8-7, but Eli White popped out to end the late comeback bid.

Key Contributors: Lopez (3-for-4, 2B, 3B, RBI) finished a home run shy of the cycle while Baldwin and Gurriel each had two-hit nights with an RBI. Jackson Stephens (3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO) was teriffic in relief for Gwinnett. Norfolk got a three-run home run from Johnson and a two-run single by Terrin Vavra.

Noteworthy: Baldwin and Lopez both extended their team-best RBI streaks to seven games. The Stripers dropped to 5-15 in Sunday games this season. Gwinnett finished +48 in run differential (107-59) over the 18-game season series against Norfolk.

Next Game (Tuesday, August 20): Gwinnett at Louisville, 6:35 p.m. ET at Louisville Slugger Field. Broadcast: 6:20 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com. Both starting pitchers are currently TBD.

Next Home Game (Tuesday, August 27): Gwinnett vs. Columbus, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. It's Coolray Family Value Tuesday at Coolray Field, as fans can load up on $2 hot dogs and $1 desserts.