Scorching Start Drives Stripers to 10-2 Blowout Win over Charlotte

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Less than one day removed from a shutout loss, the Gwinnett Stripers (10-11) broke out for six runs in the first inning to set the tone for a dominant 10-2 victory over the Charlotte Knights (10-9) on Sunday afternoon at Coolray Field. Charlotte took the three-game set 2-1.

Decisive Plays: An RBI single by Luke Williams put Gwinnett in front 1-0 and opened the floodgates as RBI doubles by Luke Waddell and Chadwick Tromp and a two-run home run by Andrew Velazquez followed in the six-run first inning. The Stripers extended the lead to 8-0 in the second after an error on Colson Montgomery and an RBI sacrifice fly by Waddell. With the game at 9-0, Gwinnett in the eighth inning, Oscar Colas hit a two-run homer to break up the shutout.

Key Contributors: The Stripers got two-RBI performances from Williams, Waddell, Velazquez, and Tromp while Velazquez added a home run to his three-hit day. On the mound, AJ Smith-Shawver (3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO) struck out five of the 14 batters he faced. Colas delivered the only RBI with his two-run home run for Charlotte.

Noteworthy: Gwinnett improves to 3-1 in games following losses in which the team was shutout and 9-1 when scoring at least 10 runs. Tromp and Drake Baldwin extended their on-base streaks to 19 games. In two starts with Gwinnett since returning from an oblique injury, Smith-Shawver has worked 7.1 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed.

Next Game (Tuesday, July 23): Gwinnett at Durham, 6:35 p.m. ET at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Broadcast: 6:20 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com.

Next Home Game (Tuesday, July 30): Gwinnett vs. Nashville, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. It's Coolray Family Value Tuesday at Coolray Field, as fans can get $2 hot dogs and $1 desserts.