Shewmake’s Walk-Off Blast Sends Stripers to Opening Night Win

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - After striking out in his first four plate appearances, Braden Shewmake turned a pitch and his fortunes around with one swing of the bat on Opening Night. His three-run walk-off home run gave the Gwinnett Stripers an 8-5 victory over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in a thrilling conclusion Friday night at Coolray Field.

Decisive Plays: The Stripers entered the bottom of the eighth down 4-2, where Chadwick Tromp plated two with a single to tie the game. Moments later, Forrest Wall beat out a would-be inning-ending double play, allowing Jordan Luplow to score from third and the Stripers to take a 5-4 lead entering the ninth. Austin Allen slammed a game-tying home run to right field off Ty Tice (W, 1-0) to tie the game at 5-5. But in the home half, Shewmake launched his walk-off bomb on a 1-0 pitch from Robert Garcia (L, 0-1) to power the Stripers to victory.

Key Contributors: Vaughn Grissom (1-for-3, 2 walks) scored three runs in his Triple-A debut, including off a leadoff triple in the fourth, marking the Stripers’ first hit of the season. Three Stripers (Tromp, 2, Wall, 2, Shewmake, 3) had multi-RBI nights. Both Wall and Eli White went 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts.

Noteworthy: Shewmake’s Opening Night walk-off home run marks the first Opening Day walk-off in Gwinnett history (2009-current). It is the first Stripers’ walk-off homer since Ozzie Albies hit one on September 13, 2022 vs. Durham. The Stripers are now 9-5 in Opening Day games, and 5-2 in such games at Coolray Field.

Next Game (Saturday, April 1): Gwinnett vs. Jacksonville, 6:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. RHP Jackson Stephens (NR) for the Stripers vs. RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez (NR) for the Jumbo Shrimp. Radio Broadcast: 5:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. The first 2,000 fans will collect a Stripers Clear Fanny Pack, courtesy of Gwinnett Daily Post.