Stripers’ Offense Breaks Out to Bash Bulls 17-3

Velazquez drives in five, Lopez ties club doubles record as Gwinnett sets season highs for runs, hits, winning margin

Andrew Velazquez hit his team-leading ninth homer and drove in a season-high five on Thursday night in Durham. (Bernie Connelly)

By Dave Lezotte (@davelezotte)

June 6, 2024

DURHAM, NC – Andrew Velazquez homered and drove in a season-high five runs, Alejo Lopez tied the Gwinnett single-game record for doubles with three, and the Stripers (28-32) cruised to their biggest win of the season in a 17-3 triumph over the Durham Bulls (28-32) on Thursday night at Durham

DURHAM, NC – Andrew Velazquez homered and drove in a season-high five runs, Alejo Lopez tied the Gwinnett single-game record for doubles with three, and the Stripers (28-32) cruised to their biggest win of the season in a 17-3 triumph over the Durham Bulls (28-32) on Thursday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. All ten Gwinnett players had at least one hit.

Decisive Plays: Gwinnett trailed 2-0 after the first inning, but an RBI double by Lopez and RBI single by Sandy Leon tied the game at 2-2 in the second. In the fourth, an RBI single by Phillip Evans and two-run single by Velazquez helped the Stripers create a 6-2 lead. An eight-run seventh – Gwinnett’s largest scoring frame of the year – was highlighted by Velazquez’s leadoff solo homer (9) and two-run single and a two-run double by Ramon Laureano. Pinch hitter Sebastian Rivero joined in with a two-run single in the eighth to make it 16-2. Laureano tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Yuli Gurriel for a 17-2 advantage in the ninth.

Key Contributors: Velazquez (3-for-5, homer, 5 RBIs), Laureano (3-for-6, double, triple, 2 RBIs), Lopez (4-for-5, 3 doubles, 2 RBIs), and Leon (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) all had multi-hit, multi-RBI efforts for the Stripers. Following 4.0 two-run innings from starter Darius Vines, Ben Bowden (W, 2-1) struck out three over 2.0 scoreless innings. Durham’s Austin Shenton went 1-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs.

Noteworthy: Gwinnett set season-bests in runs (17), hits (21), extra-base hits (7), and winning margin (14). The 21 hits were two short of tying the club record (23 on August 19, 2012 at Durham). Lopez became the fifth player in Gwinnett history with a three-double game, the first since Alex Jackson on May 27, 2021 vs. Memphis. Velazquez extended his hitting streak to nine, and Gurriel extended his on-base streak to 22.

Next Game (Friday, June 17): Gwinnett at Durham, 6:35 p.m. ET at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Broadcast: 6:20 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com. RHP Bryce Elder (3-1, 4.40 ERA) starts for the Stripers opposite LHP Tyler Alexander (NR) for the Bulls.

Next Home Game (Tuesday, June 11): Gwinnett vs. Nashville, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. It will be another Coolray T-Shirt Tuesday at Coolray Field, as the first 500 fans can collect a "Xolos de Gwinnett" Shirsey featuring reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr.