Stripers Withstand Memphis Rally in Ninth, Win 5-4

Chadwick Tromp homers and drives in two as Gwinnett avoids third straight walk-off loss

Huascar Ynoa struck out four over 3.0 scoreless, one-hit innings on Thursday night in Memphis. (Josh Conner)

By Dave Lezotte (@davelezotte)

August 8, 2024

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The Gwinnett Stripers (17-19) entered the ninth inning holding a 5-0 lead on Thursday night but had to hold off a four-run rally from the Memphis Redbirds (17-19) to win 5-4 at AutoZone Park. Chadwick Tromp homered and drove in two, and Andrew Velazquez also went deep

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The Gwinnett Stripers (17-19) entered the ninth inning holding a 5-0 lead on Thursday night but had to hold off a four-run rally from the Memphis Redbirds (17-19) to win 5-4 at AutoZone Park. Chadwick Tromp homered and drove in two, and Andrew Velazquez also went deep for the Stripers as they snapped a three-game losing streak.

Decisive Plays: Tromp’s solo shot to left (6) in the fourth kicked off a three-run frame that included an RBI single from Brian Anderson and sacrifice fly from Justin Dean that made it 3-0 Stripers. Velazquez lifted a solo blast (14) to center in the seventh to raise the lead to 4-0. Gwinnett’s two-out rally in the top of the ninth ended up producing the winning run as J.P. Martinez doubled and scored on a single by Tromp. In the ninth, back-to-back homers by Alfonso Rivas and Arquimedes Gamboa off Ken Giles cut the lead to 5-4, but Domingo Gonzalez (S, 1) came on and stranded the tying and winning runs.

Key Contributors: Following 3.0 scoreless innings (1 H, 4 SO) from starter Huascar Ynoa, relievers Brooks Wilson (W, 4-2) and Jimmy Herget (H, 3) combined on 5.0 scoreless, three-hit frames and five strikeouts for Gwinnett. Tromp (2-for-5, homer, 2 RBIs), Velazquez (2-for-4, homer, RBI), and Anderson (3-for-5, RBI) combined to drive in four of the Stripers’ five runs. For Memphis, Rivas (1-for-4, homer, 3 RBIs) and Gamboa (2-for-4, double, homer, RBI) paired to tally all four RBIs.

Noteworthy: Tromp’s home run was the 28^th of his Stripers career, tying him for ninth in Gwinnett history alongside Johan Camargo (2017-21). Velazquez’s team-leading 14^th homer tied his single-season career high, set in 2018 in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Alejo Lopez walked twice to extend his on-base streak to 16 games. Rehabbing Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Harris II went 0-for-2 with a walk in his third game with Gwinnett.

Next Game (**Friday, August 9):** Gwinnett at Memphis, 8:05 p.m. ET at AutoZone Park. Broadcast: 7:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live.

Next Home Game (Tuesday, August 13): Gwinnett vs. Norfolk, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. It is Coolray T-Shirt Tuesday at Coolray Field, as the first 500 fans to the ballpark will receive an Ozzie Albies Stripers shirsey.