Shewmake Hits for the Cycle, but Stripers Walked Off in St. Paul
Braden Shewmake became the first player in Gwinnett history to hit for the cycle on Wednesday afternoon, but the historic achievement wasn’t enough to lead the Gwinnett Stripers (33-43) to a victory in the second-half opener as the St. Paul Saints (44-31) walked off on Jair Camargo’s two-out grand slam in the ninth inning for a 12-9 win at CHS Field.
Decisive Plays: Shewmake started his day with a double in the second inning and scored on a bases-loaded walk by Eli White to tie the game at 1-1. Forrest Wall’s three-run double in the second and a solo homer by Shewmake (8) in the third gave Gwinnett a 5-3 advantage. St. Paul turned the tables with a five-run bottom of the third, going up 8-5. The Stripers chipped away on a solo homer by Luke Williams (2) in the fifth and tied the game in the eighth on a two-run single by Wall. Vaughn Grissom followed with a go-ahead RBI single for a 9-8 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Joe Harvey (L, 1-1) allowed a single and two walks before yielding Camargo’s game-winning slam (12) to center.
Key Contributors: Shewmake’s five plate appearances in order included a double, homer, single, hit-by-pitch, and triple. He finished 4-for-4 with three runs and one RBI. Wall went 2-for-4 with a double and five RBIs, the most by a Gwinnett player in a single game this year. For the Saints, Camargo finished 2-for-5 with the homer and six RBIs.
Noteworthy: Shewmake is not only the first Gwinnett player to hit for the cycle, but also the first Braves Triple-A player to do it since Richmond’s Tony Tarasco on August 21, 1993 at Charlotte. The game was also historic as Gwinnett’s first-ever contest in the state of Minnesota, and first time facing the St. Paul Saints. Grissom notched his team-leading 21st multi-hit game.
Next Game (Thursday, June 29): Gwinnett at St. Paul, 8:07 p.m. ET at CHS Field. Broadcast: 7:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. RHP Dereck Rodriguez (0-1, 4.15 ERA) for the Stripers vs. RHP Randy Dobnak (3-3, 5.02 ERA) for the Saints.
Next Home Game (Tuesday, July 4): Gwinnett vs. Omaha, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. It’s an Independence Day celebration at Coolray Field. Watch the Stripers, clad in special Patriotic Jerseys for the occasion, and stick around after the game for a July 4 fireworks extravaganza.