Stripers’ Bats Stay Hot in 11-0 Independence Day Win at St. Paul

Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Luis Liberato each tally three RBIs, Zach Logue leads eight-hit shutout

Nacho Alvarez Jr. rounds the bases after his second-inning three-run homer on Thursday night in St. Paul. (Lauren Dale)

By Dave Lezotte (@davelezotte)

July 4, 2024

ST. PAUL, Minnesota – Coming off a historic 21-6 win on Wednesday night, the Gwinnett Stripers (4-5) carried the offensive momentum into Thursday night with an 11-0 victory over the St. Paul Saints (4-5) at CHS Field. Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Luis Liberato each drove in three runs, and Zach

ST. PAUL, Minnesota – Coming off a historic 21-6 win on Wednesday night, the Gwinnett Stripers (4-5) carried the offensive momentum into Thursday night with an 11-0 victory over the St. Paul Saints (4-5) at CHS Field. Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Luis Liberato each drove in three runs, and Zach Logue and three relievers combined on an eight-hit shutout.

Decisive Plays: Alvarez led off the game with a single and scored shortly after as Drake Baldwin’s single to center was misplayed for a run-scoring error by DaShawn Kiersey Jr. The 1-0 lead grew to 4-0 an inning later as Alvarez launched a three-run home run (5) to right field off Louie Varland (L, 3-7). In the fourth, Gwinnett scored six runs on three hits highlighted by Liberato’s three-run double to make it 10-0. The Stripers tacked on a final run in the eighth to go up 11-0.

Key Contributors: Logue (W, 3-5) scattered five hits over 5.0 innings and struck out five, and relievers Brooks Wilson (2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 SO), Hayden Harris (1.0 IP, 1 H, 3 SO), and Daysbel Hernandez (1.0 IP, 1 SO) finished off the combined eight-hitter. Alvarez Jr. (3-for-5, homer, 3 RBIs) and Liberato (3-for-6, double, 3 RBIs) had three hits each, while Eli White (2-for-6, RBI) and Skye Bolt (2-for-6, RBI) each added two hits.

Noteworthy: The shutout was Gwinnett’s seventh this season, tying the club for first in the International League alongside Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Through 18 Triple-A games, Alvarez is now batting .351 with 10 extra-base hits, 17 RBIs, and a 1.042 OPS. The Stripers have outscored St. Paul 32-6 over back-to-back wins after going 0-7 in their previous seven games in Minnesota.

Next Game (**Friday, July 5):* Gwinnett at St. Paul, 8:07 p.m. ET at CHS Park. Broadcast: 7:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com. LHP *Dylan Dodd** (2-7, 4.74 ERA) for the Stripers vs. TBD for the Saints.

Next Home Game (Tuesday, July 9): Gwinnett vs. Jacksonville, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. It is Coolray T-Shirt Tuesday at Coolray Field, as the first 500 fans to the ballpark will receive a Spencer Strider Stripers shirsey.