Stripers' Ninth-Inning Rally Comes Up Short in 5-4 Loss

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Gwinnett Stripers (32-32) scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning, but couldn't come all the way back in a 5-4 loss to the Indianapolis Indians (31-31) on Friday night at Coolray Field.

[BOX SCORE]

Decisive Plays: Kramer Robertson launched a first-pitch leadoff home run (6) for a 1-0 Stripers lead in the bottom of the first, but the Indians responded with a run in the second and took the lead on Carter Bins' sacrifice fly off Tucker Davidson (L, 1-3) in the fourth inning. Bligh Madris' two-run double in the fifth pushed the Indianapolis lead to 4-1. Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Gwinnett cut the deficit to one on an error and a Ryan Goins RBI single. Travis Demeritte grounded out to leave the tying and winning runs on base.

Key Contributors: Robertson led the way for the Stripers, going 1-for-4 with the homer and two RBIs. Delino DeShields Jr. went 2-for-3 with a run and a stolen base. Goins (2-for-3, walk, RBI) also had a multi-hit game. For Indianapolis, Madris finished 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs and starter Jerad Eickhoff (W, 4-3) struck out six over 5.2 one-run innings.

Noteworthy: Gwinnett's home winning streak over Indianapolis came to an end at nine games. DeShields has now reached in each of his last seven games, batting .412 (7-for-17) with a .593 on-base percentage over that stretch.

Next Game (Saturday, June 18): Gwinnett vs. Indianapolis, 6:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. RHP Huascar Ynoa (2-3, 4.47 ERA) for the Stripers vs. TBD for the Indians. Radio Broadcast: 5:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. The first 1,500 fans will receive a sleek black cap featuring the “Xolos de Gwinnett” logo. Please note, this giveaway is ONE PER PERSON, and fans with extra tickets will not be permitted to exit the ballpark and re-enter to claim additional caps. Presented by Georgia Power.