A three-run eighth inning for the Gwinnett Stripers (12-12) sparked by RBI base hits from Luke Waddell and Skye Bolt provided all the cushion necessary as the Stripers rode a terrific night from their bullpen to a 6-2 win over the Durham Bulls (10-14) on Thursday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Decisive Plays: Bolt opened the scoring for the Stripers with an RBI single in the second inning that gave Gwinnett a 1-0 lead. After Durham tied the game 1-1 in the home half, Kameron Misner flared a single to right field to make it 2-1. The Stripers responded with an RBI groundout from Drake Baldwin and an RBI single from Brian Anderson to claim a 3-2 edge after three innings. Bolt and Waddell recorded RBI singles in the eighth inning to stretch the advantage to 6-2.
Key Contributors: Bolt (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and Waddell (2-for-4, 2 RBI) were the top contributors on offense for Gwinnett. Brian Moran (W, 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO), Matt Carisiti (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO) and Ken Giles (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO) combined for 5.0 scoreless innings of relief. Durham got its lone RBI from Misner while Junior Caminero and Ronny Simon had a pair of doubles between them.
Noteworthy: The Stripers improved to 16-8 on the season when facing left-handed starters this season. Though the Stripers are 7-8 against Durham this season, they are outscoring the Bulls by 11 runs (85-74) through 15 games. In two games since returning from the development list on July 23, Bolt is batting .429 (3-for-7) with a double, four RBI and one stolen base.
Next Game (Friday, July 25): Gwinnett at Durham, 6:35 p.m. ET at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Broadcast: 6:20 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com. RHP Ian Anderson (0-0, 9.82 ERA) makes his second start of the season for Gwinnett opposed by LHP Drew Jeffrey Springs (4-4, 4.69 ERA) for Durham.
Next Home Game (Tuesday, July 30): Gwinnett vs. Nashville, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. It's Coolray Family Value Tuesday at Coolray Field, as fans can get $2 hot dogs and $1 desserts.
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