Leonard’s Two Homers Lift Stripers to 4-1 Victory in Delayed Durham Finale

After a nearly four-hour rain delay pushed the start time from 1:05 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eddys Leonard homered twice and Ian Anderson spun 5.0 no-hit innings to lead the Gwinnett Stripers (17-22) to a 4-1 win over the Durham Bulls (24-15) on Sunday evening at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Gwinnett won the series 4-2.

Decisive Plays:  The Stripers broke a scoreless deadlock in the fifth as Leonard launched a solo home run (7) off the second floor of the office building in left field. Singles by Conner Capel and Jason Delay followed, and David Fletcher made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly. An inning later, Leonard struck again with a two-run homer (8) over the blue monster in left for a 4-0 lead. Following Anderson’s gem, Michael Peterson, Enoli Paredes, Dylan Dodd, and Wander Suero (S, 4) combined to allow one run over the final 4.0 innings.

Key Contributors:  Leonard (2-for-3, 2 homers, 3 RBIs) drove in three of Gwinnett’s four runs. Anderson (W, 1-0) tossed a season-high 5.0 innings (0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 SO) for his sixth career victory with the Stripers. Capel, Delay, and Carlos Rodriguez all singled to extend hitting streaks to seven games.

Noteworthy: Sunday’s win was the first game of the series decided by more than one run. The series win was Gwinnett’s first ever in a six-game set at Durham (dating back to the creation of six-game series in 2021). Leonard is the second Striper with a two-homer game this season, joining Eddy Alvarez (April 15 vs. Lehigh Valley). Suero went 3-for-3 in saves for the week, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings.

Next Game (Tuesday, May 13): Charlotte at Gwinnett, 11:05 a.m. at Coolray Field. Join the Stripers on Education Day where kids can catch a game at Coolray Field in a fun and educational environment. Radio Broadcast: 10:50 a.m. on MyCountry993.com.