By Dave Lezotte
(@davelezotte)
The Gwinnett Stripers (21-24) saw a 4-2 lead evaporate late in the contest, but still had the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth inning before falling 7-6 to the Memphis Redbirds (24-21) on Sunday afternoon at AutoZone Park. Gwinnett lost five of the seven games in the week-long series.
Decisive Plays: Andrew Velazquez put Gwinnett ahead 3-2 in the third inning with a three-run home run (4) to right-center. An RBI single by Yuli Gurriel raised the advantage to 4-2 in the sixth. Memphis roared back with three straight two-out doubles off Dylan Dodd in the sixth, tying the game at 4-4. In the seventh, with David Fletcher (L, 0-1) on from the bullpen, RBI singles by Arquimedes Gamboa, Jose Fermin, and Cesar Prieto gave the Redbirds a 7-4 lead. The Stripers scored twice on RBI singles by Phillip Evans and Alejo Lopez in the eighth but stranded the tying and winning runs in the ninth against Connor Thomas (S, 2).
Key Contributors: Every member of the Gwinnett lineup had a hit, led by Skye Bolt (2-for-3, run). Velazquez had the Stripers’ lone extra-base hit and a game-high three RBIs (1-for-4, homer). For Memphis, Sem Robberse (W, 5-2) won despite allowing six runs over 7.0 innings. Fermin (2-for-4, double, RBI), Prieto (3-for-4, double, 2 RBIs), and Luken Baker (2-for-4, 2 doubles, RBI) led the way for the Redbirds.
Noteworthy: Forrest Wall (15 games), Eli White (11 games), and Gurriel (11 games) all extended their on-base streaks. Gwinnett drops to 9-5 in one-run games this season. Fletcher made the third relief appearance of his pro career, working as a scheduled reliever for the first time.
Next Game (Tuesday, May 21): Gwinnett vs. Jacksonville, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. It's the return of Coolray Family Value Tuesday at Coolray Field, with $2 hot dogs and $1 desserts.
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