Middle Inning Surge Pushes Charlotte Past Gwinnett 6-2

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Gwinnett Stripers (18-19) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning but were unable to respond to a five-run wave of offense from the Charlotte Knights (15-22) across the fourth and fifth innings in a 6-2 loss on Saturday night at Coolray Field.

Decisive Plays: David Fletcher continued his strong series with an RBI single in the first, cashing in on a leadoff triple by Forrest Wall. In the fourth, Charlotte got even on a wild pitch and took its first lead on a sacrifice fly by Chuckie Robinson. An RBI groundout by Wall in the home half evened the score at 2-2. Jared Walsh clubbed a homer (1) as part of a three-run fifth that put the Knights over the top for good.

Key Contributors: Fletcher (2-for-5, double, RBI) had the only multi-hit night for the Stripers. Wall (1-for-5, triple, RBI) collected his first triple of the season. Grant Holmes (3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO) was stellar in a long relief outing. For Charlotte, Walsh and Robinson had both the extra-base hits while the bullpen combined for 5.0 scoreless innings and five strikeouts.

Noteworthy: Wall has now scored in eight consecutive games (11 runs total) and is two games away from tying the Gwinnett club record of 10 games. Wall’s triple was Gwinnett’s 13^th hit to lead off a game this season. At 3.0 innings, the relief outing for Holmes was his longest in 63 career games with Gwinnett.

Next Game (Sunday, May 12): Gwinnett vs. Charlotte, 1:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 12:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (1-1. 5.32 ERA) will start for Gwinnett against RHP Jake Woodford (1-2, 7.04 ERA) for Charlotte. It's Sunday Funday at Coolray Field, with Pregame Catch on the Field and Postgame Kids Run the Bases. Stripers fans can also purchase the Mother's Day Buffet Pack, which features a field box ticket and an all-you-can-eat buffet for just $42.