Waters, Shewmake Each Homer in Stripers' 6-1 Win at Norfolk

NORFOLK, Va. – Home runs by Drew Waters and Braden Shewmake lifted the Gwinnett Stripers (37-40) to a 6-1 win over the Norfolk Tides (37-40) on Saturday night at Harbor Park. Stripers' starter Bryce Elder allowed just one run on four hits over 5.2 innings for the win.

*Decisive Plays: *Down 1-0 in the second inning, Gwinnett tied the game on a two-out double by Greyson Jenista. In the third, Waters lifted an opposite-field two-run homer (5) to the picnic pavilion in left, giving the Stripers a 3-1 lead. Alex Dickerson tripled and scored on a two-out single by Joe Dunand to make it 4-1 in the fourth, and Shewmake laced a two-run homer (5) down the right field line to raise the lead to 6-1 in the ninth.

Key Contributors: After yielding a leadoff solo homer to Terrin Vavra in the first inning, Elder (W, 4-4) settled down to scatter four hits and three walks over 5.2 innings. Relievers Jacob Webb (H, 2), Tyler Matzek (H, 1), and Michael Tonkin combined on 3.1 scoreless, one-hit innings to finish the game. Waters and Shewmake each went 1-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs, while Dickerson (3-for-5, triple, run) and Chadwick Tromp (3-for-4, run) each had three-hit games.

*Noteworthy: * Tonkin extended his scoreless innings streak to 10.0 spanning his last nine outings, now the longest streak on the club this year. Matzek has fanned five of the six batters he's faced over two outings on a rehab assignment for the Atlanta Braves. Rehabbing Braves outfielder Eddie Rosario went 1-for-4 with a walk and run scored.

Next Game (Sunday, July 3): Gwinnett at Norfolk, 6:05 p.m. at Harbor Park. LHP Tucker Davidson (2-4, 4.39 ERA) for the Stripers vs. LHP Bruce Zimmermann (1-0, 4.91 ERA) for the Tides. Radio Broadcast: 5:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com.

Next Home Game (Monday, July 4): Gwinnett vs. Charlotte, 7:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. Radio Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. Join the Stripers for Independence Day, featuring a special pregame BBQ (purchase online at GoStripers.com) and a patriotic Fireworks Extravaganza after the game. Stripers players and coaches will wear specialty Patriotic Jerseys, which will be available for purchase in an online auction at GoStripers.com.