Waddell, Stripers Rally for Another Late Win in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – For the second straight night, a two-out RBI single by Luke Waddell gave Gwinnett the lead in the eighth inning, and the Stripers (24-25) finished off a 4-2 win over the Memphis Redbirds (24-26) on Saturday night at AutoZone Park. Rehabbing Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale struck out five batters over 4.2 innings of one-run baseball in a no-decision.

Decisive Plays: The Redbirds scratched out a run against Sale in the bottom of the first inning, getting an RBI groundout from Matt Koperniak to go up 1-0. Redbirds’ righty Curtis Taylor made that lead stand up until the top of the seventh, when the Stripers scored twice to pull ahead 2-1. Jarred Kelenic tied it with an RBI groundout and David McCabe followed with a two-out RBI single scoring Jonathan Ornelas. Memphis tied it at 2-2 against Jose Suarez (W, 1-1) in the bottom of the seventh, but Gwinnett responded with four consecutive two-out hits in the eighth including Waddell’s go-ahead single and another RBI single by Ornelas. Anderson Pilar (S, 5) retired all three batters in the ninth to finish the 4-2 victory

Key Contributors: Ornelas (2-for-4, RBI) and Kelenic (2-for-3, double, RBI) had Gwinnett’s two multi-hit efforts, while Waddell (1-for-4, RBI) and McCabe (1-for-4, RBI) each had clutch two-out singles. JJ Wetherholt went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored, while Taylor went 7.0 innings with two unearned runs for the Redbirds.

Noteworthy: Through three rehab starts with the Stripers, Sale owns a 2.53 ERA (3 ER in 10.2 IP), 1.22 WHIP, and .244 BAA. Jesus Bastidas doubled (1-for-5) to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, the second-longest streak by a Striper this year. Gwinnett leads the series 4-1, guaranteed a road series victory for just the third time this year (first since going 4-2 at Durham from May 6-11).

Next Game (Sunday, August 24): Gwinnett Stripers at Memphis Redbirds, 2:05 p.m. ET at AutoZone Park. RHP Dane Dunning (1-0, 0.82 ERA) starts for the Stripers opposite LHP Quinn Mathews (3-5, 3.86 ERA) of the Redbirds. Radio Broadcast: 1:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com.

Next Home Game (Tuesday, August 26): Gwinnett Stripers vs. Norfolk Tides, 7:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. The first 500 fans to the ballpark will receive a Xolos de Gwinnett Tie Dye T-Shirt presented by Coolray Heating & Cooling (size XL only). The Stripers will transform into the Xolos de Gwinnett as part of MiLB's Copa de la Diversion. Radio Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live.