Ritchie Wins Triple-A Debut, Stripers Prevail 5-3 Over Jacksonville
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Behind a stellar start from JR Ritchie, the Gwinnett Stripers (9-11) held off the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (10-9) in a 5-3 victory on Saturday night at Coolray Field. The Stripers evened the three-game series at 1-1. Decisive Plays: Jacksonville collected solo homers in each of the first
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Behind a stellar start from JR Ritchie, the Gwinnett Stripers (9-11) held off the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (10-9) in a 5-3 victory on Saturday night at Coolray Field. The Stripers evened the three-game series at 1-1.
Decisive Plays: Jacksonville collected solo homers in each of the first two innings from Jakob Marsee (13) and Maximo Acosta (6) to pull ahead 2-0. David Fletcher got in on the fun in the third inning with a solo blast of his own (3) to cut the deficit to 2-1. Jacksonville got a run back in the fifth inning on a run-scoring double from Marsee. Fletcher struck again for the Stripers in the bottom of the fifth, this time with an RBI single to make it a 3-2 Jacksonville lead. Gwinnett pulled ahead in the sixth inning with a two-run single from Jason Delay and added an insurance run in the seventh inning on a Luke Waddell RBI single. The 5-3 lead held the rest of the way.
Key Contributors: Ritchie (W, 1-0) tossed 6.0 innings and allowed just three earned runs while striking out six in his Triple-A debut. Austin Cox (S, 1) finished the game with a 3.0-inning save. Fletcher (2-for-4, homer, 2 RBIs) led the way offensively for the Stripers while Waddell (2-for-4, RBI) also provided a multi-hit performance. For the Jumbo Shrimp, Marsee went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs.
Noteworthy: Waddell extended his on-base streak to 15 games, now the longest streak by a Striper in 2025. Ritchie became the fifth different Striper to make his Triple-A debut as a starter in 2025, joining Didier Fuentes, Adam Maier, Blake Burkhalter, and Brett Sears). Cox’s 3.0 innings were a season high.
Next Game (Sunday, July 20): Jacksonville at Gwinnett, 1:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. Stripers starting pitcher Blake Burkhalter (0-0, 1.80 ERA) faces Jacksonville lefty Robby Snelling (0-0, 0.00 ERA). Enjoy COUNTRY Financial Sunday Funday, a special matinee game for families, with Pregame Catch on the Field and Postgame Kids Run the Bases (weather permitting). Radio Broadcast: 12:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. TV Broadcast: Peachtree Sports Network, Palmetto Sports & Entertainment.