Knights Take Over First Place, Beat the G-Braves 9-5 Tuesday

(UPTOWN CHARLOTTE, NC) -- The Charlotte Knights rallied from a five-run deficit behind a Jake Peter grand slam to defeat the Gwinnett Braves by a score of 9-5 on Tuesday evening at BB&T Ballpark. With the victory, the Knights moved into sole possession of first place in the International League South Division for the first time since July 20th.

The Braves struck first in the opening half inning of the game as they pushed three runs across off of four singles. Gwinnett extended their lead in the second and fourth innings after scoring a run in each frame. Catcher Blake Lalli led the way for the Braves offensively as he finished 4-for-4 at the plate with a run, an RBI, and a double.

The Knights placed runners in scoring positions behind six total base hits in each of the first three innings but ultimately failed to have any reach home. In the fifth inning, the Knights finally broke through following a Leury Garcia single. The shortstop later scored on a wild pitch after reaching third base. With the single, Garcia extended his hitting streak to seven games -- hitting .433 over that stretch. He finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs and a walk.

In the ensuing sixth inning, Knights center fielder Jacob May singled and later scored on a line drive up the middle by designated hitter Tony Campana. Two batters later, second baseman Peter stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and promptly launched a grand slam off of the left foul pole to give the Knights a 6-5 lead. The grand slam was Charlotte's fifth of the 2016 campaign - tied With Indianapolis for the most this season.

In the eighth, Peter drove in an insurance run on a single to right field. The following batter, catcher Kevan Smith, blasted a fastball to right field for his fifth home run of the season to extend the Charlotte lead to 9-5. It was an impressive game for Peter, who finished the night 2-4 with two runs and five RBIs. Knights first baseman Jerry Sands continued his torrid hitting over the month of August. He went 2-for-5 with two doubles and is now hitting .362 on the month.

Knights starter Chris Volstad (7-10, 4.47) earned the win after allowing five runs in seven innings. Knights relief pitcher Zack Burdi picked up his first save of the season. The 2016 Chicago White Sox first-round pick out of the University of Louisville struck out five batters in two innings pitched. Braves reliever Stephen Janas (2-1, 3.66) took the loss after he surrendered five runs in 0.2 innings.

The Knights will return to BB&T Ballpark for game three of their three-game series against the Braves on Wednesday night. Pre-game radio coverage of Wednesday's 7:05 p.m. game starts at 6:50 p.m. on ESPN Charlotte 730 AM and CharlotteKnights.com. The "Voice of the Charlotte Knights" Matt Swierad and long-time Knights radio broadcaster Mike Pacheco will have the call for all of the action.