Pair of Durham Three-Run Homers Hand Stripers 10-2 Loss

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Tristan Gray and Niko Hulsizer each crushed three-run home runs for the Durham Bulls (87-60) to power a seven-run eighth inning that ended any hopes of a Gwinnett Stripers’ (68-77) comeback in a 10-2 loss on Thursday night at Coolray Field.

Decisive Plays: The Stripers jumped in front 1-0 on an RBI double by Vaughn Grissom in the bottom of the first inning. An RBI single by Ronny Simon tied the game in the third inning. Durham took its first lead at 2-1 in the fourth, but Chadwick Tromp tied the game again with an RBI single in the sixth. After going ahead 3-2 in the seventh, Durham erupted for seven runs in the eighth featuring three-run homers by Gray (30) and Hulsizer (17).

Key Contributors: Grissom (1-for-3, double, RBI) and Tromp (2-for-3, RBI) had key hits early for Gwinnett, while Joe Dunand (3-for-5) had hits in his last three plate appearances. For the Bulls, Gray (1-for-3, homer, 3 RBIs) and Hulsizer (1-for-2, homer, 3 RBIs) accounted for six runs on their combined two homers.

Noteworthy: Grissom hit his 34^th double of the season, placing him one behind Ernesto Mejia (2013) and Freddie Freeman (2010) for the most by a Gwinnett player in a single season. From the fifth inning on, Durham has outscored the Stripers 23-2 through three games in the series. With the loss, Gwinnett is now 35-35 (.500) in the second half of the Triple-A season.

Next Game (Friday, September 22): Gwinnett vs. Durham 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry99.3.com and Bally Live. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (2-2, 4.38 ERA) for the Stripers against TBD for Durham. It’s Fan Appreciation Night at Coolray Field, as the first 1,000 fans to the ballpark will receive print photo of the 2023 Gwinnett Stripers. After the game, the Stripers will begin the last Fireworks Friday show of the season (weather permitting).