Blanco, Weigel Lift Gwinnett Past Durham, 7-3

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Andrés Blanco went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, and Patrick Weigel pitched 5.0 innings of one-run baseball to lead the Gwinnett Stripers (50-38) over the Durham Bulls (53-36) 7-3 on Saturday night at Coolray Field.

Scoring Recap: Durham took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a solo homer by Michael Perez (5) off Weigel. In the bottom of the fourth, Gwinnett tied the game at 1-1 on a two-out RBI single by Ryan LaMarre. In the fifth, Blanco (12) crushed a 385-foot three-run homer to left off Ryan Yarbrough to give the Stripers a 4-1 lead. Later in the inning, LaMarre delivered a two-run single to boost the lead to 6-1. Blanco made it 7-1 in the sixth with an RBI single. Durham scored twice in the eighth to get within 7-3.
Stripers Stats: Weigel (W, 2-1) pitched 5.0 innings with one run on three hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. Kurt Hoekstra made his Triple-A debut and worked 3.0 innings with two runs on five hits. Shane Carle tossed a scoreless ninth. Along with Blanco's four-RBI effort, LaMarre went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
Bulls Stats: Yarbrough (L, 2-1) pitched 5.0 innings and gave up six runs on nine hits. Perez went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs for the Durham offense.
Quote: "Last time I had a good outing and I'm happy to continue with this outing," Weigel said. "It's been two years since my (Tommy John) surgery and I am excited to continue to move forward."
Postgame Notes: Weigel is 1-0 with a 0.96 ERA (1 ER in 9.1 IP) in two July starts. Blanco's four RBIs matched his single-game season high, last reached on April 11 at Louisville. Rafael Ortega went 1-for-3 and has hit safely in 38 of his last 43 games dating back to May 18.
Next Game (Sunday, July 7): Gwinnett vs. Durham, 1:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. RHP Huascar Ynoa (1-2, 6.44 ERA) for the Stripers vs. LHP Jalen Beeks (0-0, 1.93 ERA) for the Bulls. Radio Broadcast: 12:50 p.m. on 97.7 and 93.5 FM "The Other Side of the River."