Bats Best Stripers 6-4 in Eleven Innings

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA- The Louisville Bats (59-90) topped the Gwinnett Stripers (69-78) in eleven innings on Tuesday night at Coolray Field.

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Louisville gained its first lead of the series in the second inning. A base hit from Juniel Querecuto and a walk from Ronnie Dawson set the stage for right fielder Isaih Gilliam, who doubled off the glove of the first baseman to score Querecuto and give Louisville the 1-0 lead.

Cincinnati rehabber Aramis Garcia notched an RBI-double in the top of the third inning to plate Leonardo Rivas who had reached earlier in the inning via a walk.

Fellow Reds’ rehabber Justin Dunn (0-3, 6.21) made his eighth rehab start this season with Louisville and was dialed in, working 3.0 hitless innings while walking two and whiffing four.

Another rehabber followed Dunn out of the bullpen, in right-hander Robert Dugger. He finished the game with 3.0 innings of work, surrendering three runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Taylor Motter and Tyler White each drew walks for Gwinnett. Justyn-Henry Malloy followed with a one-out, RBI-double to left to score Motter. On the very next pitch, catcher Ryan Casteel roped a single into center field to plate both runners in scoring position and give Gwinnett their first lead of the ball game at 3-2.

Following a scoreless fifth, Louisville left fielder Ronnie Dawson led off the sixth inning with a base hit to center field. Isiah Gilliam moved Dawson into scoring position when he grounded out to second base, and catcher Michael Papierski knotted the game at 3-3 when he singled to right field to score Dawson.

Raynel Espinal and the Bats ran into an eighth inning jam when a Gwinnett single and ground-out to short put the go-ahead run on second base with one out. Espinal was able to strikeout the next hitter, but then walked the following two to load the bases.

With the bases loaded, Espinal switched to pitching from the windup to change the pace of his delivery in an attempt to turn the tide. First baseman Tyler White got the pitch he wanted in a 2-2 count and drove it deep to right field, but Isiah Gilliam was waiting on the warning track to haul in the third out and end the threat.

Bats closer Ricky Karcher continued his recent dominant stretch of pitching and struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth inning to force extra innings.

Louisville was unable to plate a run in the top half of the 10th, leaving the door open for Gwinnett. Jake Marisnick drove a ball deep to left center to start the half inning that proved deep enough to allow the automatic runner to advance to third after tagging up.

Louisville reliever Dauri Moreta whiffed Hernan Perez in the following at-bat to keep the game under control and then induced a ground ball to third to end the inning.

The Bats broke through in the 11th inning, when three straight one-out walks gave them a 4-3 lead. Second baseman Steven Leyton increased the lead in the next at-bat, doubling to left-center to score two more.

Gwinnett scratched one across in the home half, but ultimately could not get to Louisville reliever Kyle Dowdy who picked up his first save of the season.

The season finale is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at Coolray Field, with first pitch slated for 12:05 p.m. Louisville will send southpaw Brandon Williamson (1-5, 4.41) to the bump to face a Gwinnett starter that has yet to be named.