Stripers Walked Off by Ronny Simon, Indians on Wednesday Afternoon

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – The Gwinnett Stripers (7-7) were an out away from evening the series in Indianapolis, but a pair of two-out hits in the bottom of the ninth inning led the Indians (10-4) to a 3-2 walk-off win on Wednesday afternoon at Victory Field.

Decisive Plays: The Stripers opened the scoring in the second as Matthew Batten ended an 0-for-31 slump with a solo home run (5) to left-center field. Gwinnett doubled the lead to 2-0 in the fifth as Eddys Leonard singled, stole second, took third on an error, and scored on Sandy Leon’s single past a drawn-in infield. That lead held until late, when the Indians scored on an RBI single by Ji-Hwan Bae in the eighth and twice in the ninth to win it. Tsung-Che Cheng hit a two-out RBI single to tie it and scored on a walk-off double to left-center by Ronny Simon.

Key Contributors: Batten (2-for-4, homer, RBI) and Leon (1-for-3, RBI) drove in both runs for Gwinnett. Indianapolis was led by Cheng (2-for-4, RBI), Simon (1-for-3, double, RBI), and Bae (1-for-4, RBI).

Noteworthy: Stepping in for the promoted Nathan Wiles, right-hander Jhancarlos Lara was solid in his first career Triple-A start for the Stripers (3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO). Gwinnett was walked off for the fifth time this year, falling to 28-2 when leading after eight innings.

Next Game (Thursday, July 10): Gwinnett Stripers at Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates), 7:05 p.m. at Victory Field. Radio Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com.

Next Home Game (Friday, July 18): Gwinnett Stripers vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Miami Marlins), 7:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. Stick around after the game for a spectacular fireworks display lights up the sky (weather permitting). Radio Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com.