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Stripers Fall Late on Opening Night in Jacksonville

Solo homers by Martinez, Williams not enough in 5-4 loss to Jumbo Shrimp
Luke Williams connected on his first home run of the season on Friday night in Jacksonville. (Ismael Caro)
By Dave Lezotte (@davelezotte)
March 29, 2024

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Gwinnett Stripers (0-1) held leads of 2-0 and 4-3 but couldn’t put away the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (1-0) on Opening Night, losing 5-4 in last-at-bat fashion at 121 Financial Ballpark. Decisive Plays: J.P. Martinez doubled on the first pitch of the game and scored on a

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Gwinnett Stripers (0-1) held leads of 2-0 and 4-3 but couldn’t put away the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (1-0) on Opening Night, losing 5-4 in last-at-bat fashion at 121 Financial Ballpark.

Decisive Plays: J.P. Martinez doubled on the first pitch of the game and scored on a double by Luis Liberato in the first inning, staking the Stripers to a 1-0 lead. Martinez’s solo home run (1) to right field made it 2-0 in the third. After Jacksonville scored three runs off Darius Vines to take a 3-2 lead in the fourth, Luke Williams tied the game at 3-3 with a solo homer (1) to left in the fifth. Gwinnett retook the lead at 4-3 in the seventh on a run-scoring error by Jumbo Shrimp shortstop Jacob Amaya but couldn’t hold it as a bases-loaded balk by Tommy Doyle (L, 0-1) tied it at 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh. In the eighth, a two-out RBI single by Marty Costes gave Jacksonville a 5-4 advantage and the eventual win.

Key Contributors: Martinez was halfway to a cycle in his first two at-bats and finished 2-for-3 with a double, homer, RBI, and two stolen bases. Liberato went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and one RBI. Vines was solid in a no-decision, working 5.0 innings with three runs on five hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. Costes went 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI for Jacksonville.

Noteworthy: The game marked the Triple-A managerial debut of Kanekoa Texeira, who became the second former Gwinnett player to manage the club. With the loss, Gwinnett is now 9-6 all-time on Opening Night.

Next Game (Saturday, March 30): Gwinnett at Jacksonville, 6:35 p.m. ET at 121 Financial Ballpark. LHP Dylan Dodd (NR) for the Stripers vs. RHP Yonny Chirinos (NR) for the Jumbo Shrimp. Broadcast: 6:20 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live.