Stripers Swept in Late 6-5 Defeat to Memphis
LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – The Gwinnett Stripers (0-3) had a tough time mustering up offense through the early part of the ballgame but found life with four consecutive sixth-inning hits to take a 5-4 lead on Sunday at Gwinnett Field. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Memphis Redbirds (3-0) scored runs
LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – The Gwinnett Stripers (0-3) had a tough time mustering up offense through the early part of the ballgame but found life with four consecutive sixth-inning hits to take a 5-4 lead on Sunday at Gwinnett Field. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Memphis Redbirds (3-0) scored runs in the eighth and ninth to snag a come-from-behind 6-5 win and a series sweep. Ben Gamel (1-for-4, HR, RBI) hit the first Stripers homer of the season in the loss.
Decisive Plays: Memphis got to Gwinnett starter Elieser Hernandez early, tagging him for four runs in the first two frames, but he settled down nicely, retiring nine of the last 10 Redbirds he faced. Jim Jarvis drove in the first Stripers run with a groundout to push across Luke Waddell in the fifth. In the sixth, Gamel greeted Redbirds’ reliever Jared Shuster (W, 1-0) with a solo home run to center (1), and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. tied it up at 4-4 with a two-run double. Luke Williams followed with a clutch two-out RBI single to left, giving Gwinnett a 5-4 lead. Memphis’ Cesar Prieto knotted things back up with a solo shot (1) in the eighth, and a Leo Bernal fielder's choice plated the decisive Redbirds run in the ninth.
Key Contributors: Stripers’ starter Elieser Hernandez went 5.0 innings (6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO) in a no-decision. Gamel recorded the first Gwinnett home run of 2026 while Williams (1-for-3) notched his first hit of the season, reaching base twice. For Memphis, Prieto (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) drove in multiple runs, including the game-tying home run in the eighth. Redbirds’ starter Brycen Mautz went 5.0 innings (2 H, 1 ER , 4 BB, 6 K) in a no-decision.
Noteworthy: Gwinnett had gone the first two games without an extra-base hit but notched three on Sunday with doubles from Luke Waddell and Jarvis and the home run from Gamel. Jarvis reached base multiple times in all three games this series, batting .500 with an OPS of 1.154.
Next Game (Tuesday, March 31): Gwinnett Stripers at Round Rock Express, 8:05 p.m. at the Dell Diamond. RHP Lucas Braun (NR) starts for Gwinnett against Round Rock LHP Brycen Mautz (NR). Radio Broadcast: 12:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live.
Next Home Game (Tuesday, April 7): Gwinnett Stripers vs. Nashville Sounds, 6:35 p.m. at Gwinnett Field. It’s 5-4-3 Tuesday presented by Sahlen’s Hot Dogs ($5 off select tickets, $5 domestic beers and souvenir sodas, $4 large popcorn and nachos, and $3 Sahlen’s hot dogs). Radio Broadcast: 6:20 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. TV Broadcast: Peachtree Sports Network. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live.