Stripers Shut Out for Second Straight Game in Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tennessee – For the second straight night, the Gwinnett Stripers (11-13) were handcuffed by Memphis pitching as they lost 5-0 to the Redbirds (10-14) on Thursday at AutoZone Park. The Stripers have been held scoreless over the last 19 innings dating back to the eighth of Tuesday’s 4-3 victory.
MEMPHIS, Tennessee – For the second straight night, the Gwinnett Stripers (11-13) were handcuffed by Memphis pitching as they lost 5-0 to the Redbirds (10-14) on Thursday at AutoZone Park. The Stripers have been held scoreless over the last 19 innings dating back to the eighth of Tuesday’s 4-3 victory.
Decisive Plays: A pair of early home runs by Matt Koperniak (7-8) – a two-run clout in the first inning and a solo shot in the third – helped the Redbirds take a 4-0 lead against Austin Cox (L, 2-2). In the fourth, Bryan Torres singled and scored on a base hit by Nathan Church coupled with an error to make it 5-0. The Stripers had a pair of runners on in the eighth and ninth but could not score in either inning. Conner Capel’s long fly-out to the center field wall in the ninth ended the game.
Key Contributors: Gwinnett relievers Domingo Gonzalez (2.1 IP, 0 H), Hayden Harris (1.0 IP, 1 H), and Daysbel Hernandez (1.0 IP, 1 H) combined on 4.1 scoreless innings to finish the game. Carlos Rodriguez (2-for-4) and Jason Delay (2-for-3, double) each had multi-hit efforts. For the Redbirds, Curtis Taylor (W, 5-3) pitched 7.0 scoreless innings and struck out seven, and Koperniak (3-for-4, double, 2 homers, 3 RBIs) accounted for three of the five runs.
Noteworthy: The loss marked Gwinnett’s International League-leading 12th shutout this year. Eddys Leonard went 0-for-3 to snap his team-best 12-game hitting streak. Cox is the 23rd different pitcher to make a start for the Stripers this year.
Next Game (Friday, July 25): Gwinnett at Memphis, 8:05 p.m. at AutoZone Park. Radio Broadcast: 7:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com.
Next Home Game (Tuesday, July 29): Durham at Gwinnett, 7:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. It’s never too early to start the Christmas countdown as we celebrate Christmas in July! The first 500 fans to the ballpark will receive a Christmas Ugly Sweater Long Sleeve Tee presented by Coolray Heating & Cooling (size XL only). Radio Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com.