Motter's Monster Night Gives Stripers 6-3 Win in Charlotte

Taylor Motter homers twice and drives in three as Gwinnett opens road trip with victory

Taylor Motter set a Gwinnett single-game season high with 10 total bases on Tuesday night. (Jamie Spaar)

By Dave Lezotte

August 2, 2022

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Newest Gwinnett slugger Taylor Motter went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs to lead the Stripers (49-51) to a 6-3 win over the Charlotte Knights (36-64) on Tuesday night at Truist Field. Pat Valaika also went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs as Gwinnett

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Newest Gwinnett slugger Taylor Motter went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs to lead the Stripers (49-51) to a 6-3 win over the Charlotte Knights (36-64) on Tuesday night at Truist Field. Pat Valaika also went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs as Gwinnett earned its 11th consecutive win in Charlotte.

Decisive Plays:Valaika opened the scoring in the first inning with a flare down the right-field line for a two-run double. An inning later, Motter made it 4-0 as he crushed a two-run homer (10) off lefty Steven Moyers (L, 1-2) over the picnic pavilion down the left-field line. Charlotte climbed to within two runs at 4-2 through four innings, but Valaika's second RBI double made it 5-2 in the fifth. Motter capped the scoring in the sixth with another deep drive to left, a solo shot (11) to make it 6-3.

Key Contributors:Motter (3-for-4, double, 2 homers, 3 RBIs) and Valaika (3-for-5, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs) combined to drive in all six Gwinnett runs. Alex Dickerson also had three hits, going 3-for-4 with a double. Starter Nolan Kingham (W, 4-3) held Charlotte to three runs on five hits over 5.0 innings. Relievers Kirby Yates (H, 1), Tyler Ferguson (H, 1), Seth Elledge (H, 7), and Michael Tonkin (S, 10) combined to allow just one hit over the final 4.0 innings.

Noteworthy: **Motter's 10 total bases were a season high for a Gwinnett player this season, and he's just the second to tally three extra-base hits in a game this year (Travis Demeritte, April 9 at Memphis). Motter is the fourth Stripers player with a two-homer game this year, first since **Phil Gosselin on May 15 at Durham. The Stripers are 12-1 at Truist Field under manager Matt Tuiasosopo, having won 11 straight since last losing on May 5, 2021.

Next Game (Wednesday, August 3): Gwinnett at Charlotte, 6:05 p.m. at Truist Field. LHP Jared Shuster (0-1, 3.60 ERA) for the Stripers vs. TBD for the Knights. Radio Broadcast: 5:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com.

Next Home Game (Tuesday, August 16): Gwinnett vs. Memphis, 7:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. Radio Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. It’s a Family Value Tuesday at Coolray Field. Enjoy $2 hot dogs and $1 select desserts, courtesy of Coolray Heating & Cooling.