Stripers Fall Behind Early in 6-1 Loss to Durham

The Gwinnett Stripers (54-60) trailed 2-0 three batters into the first inning and never found their offensive footing in a 6-1 loss to the Durham Bulls (65-51) on Wednesday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Decisive Plays: Austin Shenton’s two-run home run (8) off Jared Shuster (L, 4-5) gave Durham a 2-0 lead in the first. In the second, an RBI single by Diego Infante and sacrifice fly by Francisco Mejia raised the lead to 4-0. Gwinnett got its only run on an RBI double from Drew Lugbauer in the sixth but couldn’t do any further damage despite loading the bases with none out. Raimel Tapia answered with a solo homer (2) in the sixth, and the Bulls added another run in the eighth.

Key Contributors: Lugbauer (1-for-4, double, RBI) had the only extra-base hit for the Stripers, while Dalton Guthrie (2-for-4) and Jesus Aguilar (2-for-4) each had multi-hit games. Shenton (2-for-4, double, homer 2 RBIs) and Tapia (2-for-3, double, homer, RBI) each homered for Durham. Taj Bradley (W, 2-4) pitched 5.0 scoreless innings and struck out six for the win.

Noteworthy: Braden Shewmake went 1-for-4 to extend his on-base streak to 18 games. Lugbauer is 3-for-8 with a double, homer, and three RBIs in two games to start his Triple-A career. Gwinnett is 0-2 in the series at Durham following a season-best eight-game winning streak. Next Game (Thursday, August 17): Gwinnett at Durham, 6:35 p.m. ET at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. RHP Darius Vines (2-0, 2.87 ERA) for the Stripers vs. TBD for the Bulls. Broadcast: 6:20 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. Next Home Game (Tuesday, August 22): Gwinnett vs. Nashville, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live. It’s Family Value Tuesday at Coolray Field, with $2 Hot Dogs and $1 Desserts. Tickets are on sale now at GoStripers.com/tickets.