Pitchers Dominate as Gwinnett Reaches 1,000th Win in Franchise History

AJ Smith-Shawver, Jake Walsh, and Allan Winans collectively stymie Memphis in 2-1 victory

Allan Winans was terrific in relief on Wednesday afternoon, firing 4.0 scoreless innings of relief to shut the door on Memphis and lock up a 2-1 victory for the Stripers. (Ismael Caro)

By Jack Johnson (@jackjohnson25)

April 17, 2024

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Atlanta Braves No. 1 prospect AJ Smith-Shawver allowed just one run over 4.2 innings in his best start of the season while Jake Walsh and Allan Winans combined for 4.1 innings of scoreless relief to lead the Gwinnett Stripers (9-8) to a 2-1 triumph over the Memphis

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Atlanta Braves No. 1 prospect AJ Smith-Shawver allowed just one run over 4.2 innings in his best start of the season while Jake Walsh and Allan Winans combined for 4.1 innings of scoreless relief to lead the Gwinnett Stripers (9-8) to a 2-1 triumph over the Memphis Redbirds (7-10) on Wednesday afternoon at Coolray Field.

Decisive Plays: An RBI single from Luke Williams cashed in a two-out triple by Leury Garcia in the first inning to stake Gwinnett to a 1-0 lead. That score held until Mike Antico produced an RBI sacrifice fly in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1. A solo homer in the seventh inning from Sandy Leon (3) proved to be the winning run as Winans (W, 1-1) tossed 4.0 innings of scoreless relief to secure the 2-1 win.

Key Contributors: Smith-Shawver (4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) worked 4.0 scoreless innings to begin his outing. After he departed with two outs in the fifth, Walsh cleaned up the inning to keep the score tied. Leon (1-for-1, homer, RBI, 2 BB) was productive again at the plate, while Winans (4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO) never gave Memphis a chance to rally late in the game. For the Redbirds, Jose Fermin continued his strong start to the season with a 2-for-4 game.

Noteworthy: The 2-1 victory was the 1,000^th in Gwinnett franchise history, with the first win coming on April 9, 2009 at Charlotte (team is now 1,000-1,009 in 2,009 regular-season games). Leon tied Williams for the team lead in homers with his third of the season and now has 10 RBIs in his last five games. The Stripers won their second one-run game of the series and are now 4-3 in such situations.

Next Game (Thursday, April 18): Gwinnett vs. Memphis, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. LHP Dylan Dodd (2-0, 3.86 ERA) will start for Gwinnett against RHP Gordon Graceffo (1-2, 5.68 ERA) for Memphis. It's Michelob Ultra Thirsty Thursday™ at Coolray Field, as fans age 21 and older can get select 12-ounce domestic beers for just $2 each.