Williams’ Extra-Inning Heroics Lift Stripers to 8-7 Win Over Omaha 

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Luke Williams cracked a base hit to left field in the bottom of the 10^th inning, scoring Braden Shewmake and sending the Gwinnett Stripers (35-48) to a thrilling 8-7 victory over the Omaha Storm Chasers (40-40) on Wednesday night at Coolray Field.

Decisive Plays: Omaha took the early 3-0 lead with an RBI double from Angelo Castellano and two-run single by Samad Taylor. With Gwinnett trailing 4-1 in the fifth, Jesus Aguilar turned the game upside down with a grand slam (2) to put the Stripers ahead 5-4. Omaha took a 7-5 lead with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth. Gwinnett tied the game at 7-7 with a bases-loaded walk from Joe Dunand in the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the 10th, Williams came through with the walk-off knock to send the Stripers to an 8-7 win.

Key Contributors: Williams (3-for-5, double, 2 RBIs) sent the Stripers home with a win, while Aguilar (1-for-4, homer, 4 RBIs) played a pivotal role in keeping Gwinnett in the game. Dunand (2-for-4, RBI) and Shewmake (2-for-5, double, 3 runs) had the other multi-hit efforts. For Omaha, Taylor (3-for-5, 2 RBIs, 4 steals) and Castellano (3-for-5, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs) were responsible for four of the seven Storm Chaser runs.

Noteworthy: The base hit by Williams gave the Stripers their second walk-off win of 2023, and first in extra innings. Aguilar’s grand slam was the fifth hit by a Striper this season. Both of his home runs with Gwinnett have been grand slams. Gwinnett improves to 3-6 in extra-inning games.

Next Game (Thursday, July 6th): Gwinnett vs. Omaha, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. TBD for the Stripers against RHP Max Castillo (2-6, 4.60 ERA). It’s Thirsty Thursday at Coolray Field, with select 12-ounce beers for just $2 each and Cutwater margaritas for just $5 each.