Lopez’s Clutch Double Helps Stripers Turn Tide on Norfolk

Alejo Lopez’s seventh-inning two-run double leads Gwinnett to come-from-behind 5-4 victory

Alejo Lopez drove in three of Gwinnett's five runs on Tuesday night. (Ismael Caro)

By Dave Lezotte (@davelezotte)

August 13, 2024

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – A two-out, two-run double by Alejo Lopez capped a four-run seventh inning as the Gwinnett Stripers (19-21) rallied back from a 4-1 deficit to beat the Norfolk Tides (19-21) 5-4 on Tuesday night at Coolray Field. Rehabbing Atlanta Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez pitched 4.0 innings (6 H,

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – A two-out, two-run double by Alejo Lopez capped a four-run seventh inning as the Gwinnett Stripers (19-21) rallied back from a 4-1 deficit to beat the Norfolk Tides (19-21) 5-4 on Tuesday night at Coolray Field. Rehabbing Atlanta Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez pitched 4.0 innings (6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO) in a no-decision.

Decisive Plays: Gwinnett and Norfolk battled to a 1-1 tie over the first four innings, but the Tides struck for two runs against Lopez in the fifth to go up 3-1. Allan Winans replaced Lopez in the fifth and yielded one run in the sixth as the Stripers fell behind 4-1. In the seventh, a two-run single by Drake Baldwin and Lopez’s two-run double to right-center gave Gwinnett its first lead of the night at 5-4. Winans (W, 5-3) made that hold up as he pitched 5.0 innings (1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO) in relief for the victory.

Key Contributors: Baldwin (3-for-4, 2 RBIs) and Lopez (1-for-2, double, 3 RBIs) combined to drive in all five of Gwinnett’s runs. Chadwick Tromp (2-for-5, double) and Yuli Gurriel (4-for-4, double) also had multi-hit efforts for the Stripers. Norfolk was led offensively by Terrin Vavra (2-for-5, RBI) and J.D. Davis (2-for-4, double, RBI).

Noteworthy: The victory was Gwinnett’s 30^th come-from-behind win this year. Winans is now 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA (1 ER in 14.1 IP) in his three relief outings this season. Lopez has reached base safely in 19 of 20 games since July 14, batting .333 (24-for-72) with 13 RBIs and an .827 OPS.

Next Game (**Wednesday, August 14):** Gwinnett vs. Norfolk, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. It’s Wet Nose Wednesday, presented by Sahlen’s (dogs free with paid owner on The Bank) and a Xolos de Gwinnett Night for MiLB’s Copa de la Diversión.