Brian Anderson’s first-inning two-run home run set the tone, and the Gwinnett Stripers (29-22) never let up, scoring in six different innings to defeat the Louisville Bats (19-31) 11-3 on Sunday afternoon at Louisville Slugger Field. The surging Stripers swept the six-game series and are now 11-1 in their last 12 games.
Decisive Plays: Anderson’s two-run clout to left (2), his second of the week off Brandon Leibrandt (L, 3-4), staked the Stripers to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Louisville got as close as 3-2 with two runs off Bryce Elder (W, 9-3) in the bottom of the second, but Gwinnett responded with Drake Baldwin’s RBI single in the third, RBI hits from Alejo Lopez and Eli White in the fourth, and Chadwick Tromp’s RBI double in the sixth to go up 8-2. Elder yielded an RBI single to Davis Wendzel in the sixth before exiting. Luis Liberato added an RBI single in the seventh, Tromp tallied another RBI double in the eighth, and Anderson capped the scoring at 11-3 with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Key Contributors: Elder turned in his team-leading ninth quality start for the win (6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO), and relievers Brian Moran, Tommy Doyle, and Daysbel Hernandez each followed with a scoreless inning. Lopez (4-for-5, double, RBI), White (3-for-4, triple, RBI), Baldwin (3-for-5, RBI), Tromp (2-for-4, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs), and Liberato (2-for-5, double, RBI) all had multi-hit games for Gwinnett. Erik Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with two RBIs for Louisville.
Noteworthy: Gwinnett swept a six-game series for the third time in franchise history, first since August 8-13, 2023 at Charlotte. The win was just the Stripers’ sixth in a series finale this season (now 6-16), and first since July 21 vs. Charlotte. Elder won twice in the series and is now 4-0 with a 2.30 ERA (7 ER in 27.1 IP) over his last four starts with the Stripers. Tromp hit .474 (9-for-19) with four doubles and six RBIs for the week.
Next Game (Tuesday, August 27): Gwinnett vs. Columbus, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. It's Coolray Family Value Tuesday at Coolray Field, as fans can load up on $2 hot dogs and $1 desserts.
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