Stripers Strike Early, Fall Late in 4-2 Loss to Louisville

Aaron Schunk homers in three-hit effort, but two late homers by the Bats down Gwinnett

By Brady Penn (@bradypenn21)

June 20, 2026

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – The Gwinnett Stripers (37-36) backed a quality start from Austin Gomber with two runs early but couldn’t finish off the win as the Louisville Bats (39-33) homered in the seventh and eighth innings for a 4-2 victory on Saturday night at Gwinnett Field. Aaron Schunk went 3-for-4

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – The Gwinnett Stripers (37-36) backed a quality start from Austin Gomber with two runs early but couldn’t finish off the win as the Louisville Bats (39-33) homered in the seventh and eighth innings for a 4-2 victory on Saturday night at Gwinnett Field. Aaron Schunk went 3-for-4 with a home run in the loss.

Decisive Plays: The Stripers went up 1-0 in the second inning on a solo homer by Schunk (6) to left field. In the third, Gwinnett doubled their lead to 2-0 when Brett Wisely poked an RBI single into right field. Louisville cut it to 2-1 with a fourth-inning solo blast by Hector Rodriguez (17). That score held until a two-run homer by Francisco Urbaez (1) pushed Louisville ahead 3-2 in the seventh. The Bats added one more in the eighth with a solo shot by Garrett Hampson (3) to make it 4-2. The Stripers put the tying runs on the corners in the bottom of the ninth, but stranded them both.

Key Contributors: Gomber went 6.0 innings (3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO) for his second quality start as a Striper in a no-decision. Schunk (3-for-4, homer, RBI) notched his second three-hit performance of the series. For Louisville, Urbaez (2-for-4, homer, 2 RBIs), Rodriguez (2-for-4, homer, RBI), and Hampson (1-for-3, homer, RBI) all went yard.

Noteworthy: Gomber tied his season high with 6.0 innings for the fourth time this year, second time with Gwinnett. Schunk’s home run was his first since April 22 vs. Jacksonville. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. tallied his 25^th steal of the season in the ninth inning and is 24-for-24 since last being caught.

Next Game (Sunday, June 21): Gwinnett Stripers vs Louisville Bats, 1:05 p.m. ET at Gwinnett Field. It's Atlanta Black Crackers Weekend at Gwinnett Field as the Stripers transform into the Atlanta Black Crackers, paying tribute to the legendary Negro League team that once called Ponce de Leon Park home. It is also Sunday Funday presented by COUNTRY Financial, with Pregame Catch on the Field and Postgame Kids Run the Bases. Radio Broadcast: 12:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live.