Gwinnett Stripers 5, Charlotte Knights 3
Not only did the Stripers (69-67) outhit the Knights (74-63), 8-6, but a bullpen implosion in the eighth allowed Gwinnett to take the lead and ultimately win the game, 5-3. The good news is that Charlotte is still hanging in second place, on the cusp of a playoff berth. The bad news is that righthander Shane Smith really struggled with his command, unable to complete the eighth inning, surrendering three runs on two hits with three walks — one intentional — and two wild pitches.
Charlotte's offense mashed half of their hits (three) for extra bases, and went 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and the top of the lineup mostly carried the team. The Good Guys scored all of their runs in the third inning, igniting a two-out rally in the top of the third once the batting order flipped back to the top. Caden Connor set the tone with a leadoff base hit — his first of two — and Rikuu Nishida kept the inning rolling with a base hit of his own to bring up the power bats. Riley Unroe blasted a two-run triple to take the lead, and Ryan Galanie brought him right in on a two-out double to give the Knights a three-run lead.
Smith got off to a rough start as the Stripers tied the game with the first three batters the righty faced, and continued to fall off the rails, handing Gwinnett a two-run lead from a pair of wild pitches. The entire sequence of events before the Knights were able to get an out was … out of control: leadoff walk, bunt base hit, game-tying RBI double (3-3), walk, first wild pitch to giveaway the lead (4-3), intentional walk to load the bases, second wild pitch (5-3), ground out. Despite this being just his first blown save, Smith now owns a 6.06 ERA while receiving his second loss of the year. In his three previous innings of relief, Shane hadn't allowed a single hit, but he just wasn't on his game. It's still possible that Smith will be able to lean into a relief role, but there's definitely still some red flags about his performance his season.
MVP
Riley Unroe (3B): 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 3 K, 3B
Runners-Up
Rikuu Nishida (2B): 1-for-4, R, 2 K
Ryan Galanie (DH): 1-for-4, RBI, 2B
Caden Connor (LF): 2-for-4, R, K
Shane Murphy (LHSP): 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, BB, 3 K, PO, WP, HB
Huascar Brazobán (RHRP): 1 1/3 IP, H, 2 K, Hold
#knights #game
Not only did the Stripers (69-67) outhit the Knights (74-63), 8-6, but a bullpen implosion in the eighth allowed Gwinnett to take the lead and ultimately win the game, 5-3. The good news is that Charlotte is still hanging in second place, on the cusp of a playoff berth. The bad news is that righthander Shane Smith really struggled with his command, unable to complete the eighth inning, surrendering three runs on two hits with three walks — one intentional — and two wild pitches.
Charlotte's offense mashed half of their hits (three) for extra bases, and went 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and the top of the lineup mostly carried the team. The Good Guys scored all of their runs in the third inning, igniting a two-out rally in the top of the third once the batting order flipped back to the top. Caden Connor set the tone with a leadoff base hit — his first of two — and Rikuu Nishida kept the inning rolling with a base hit of his own to bring up the power bats. Riley Unroe blasted a two-run triple to take the lead, and Ryan Galanie brought him right in on a two-out double to give the Knights a three-run lead.
Smith got off to a rough start as the Stripers tied the game with the first three batters the righty faced, and continued to fall off the rails, handing Gwinnett a two-run lead from a pair of wild pitches. The entire sequence of events before the Knights were able to get an out was … out of control: leadoff walk, bunt base hit, game-tying RBI double (3-3), walk, first wild pitch to giveaway the lead (4-3), intentional walk to load the bases, second wild pitch (5-3), ground out. Despite this being just his first blown save, Smith now owns a 6.06 ERA while receiving his second loss of the year. In his three previous innings of relief, Shane hadn't allowed a single hit, but he just wasn't on his game. It's still possible that Smith will be able to lean into a relief role, but there's definitely still some red flags about his performance his season.
MVP
Riley Unroe (3B): 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 3 K, 3B
Runners-Up
Rikuu Nishida (2B): 1-for-4, R, 2 K
Ryan Galanie (DH): 1-for-4, RBI, 2B
Caden Connor (LF): 2-for-4, R, K
Shane Murphy (LHSP): 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, BB, 3 K, PO, WP, HB
Huascar Brazobán (RHRP): 1 1/3 IP, H, 2 K, Hold
#knights #game
10 days ago
