LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – The Charlotte Knights hammered the Gwinnett Stripers 9-3 on Friday evening. Caden Connor drove in four runs and David Sandlin was lights out on the mound. The victory moved the Knights to 12 games over .500, a new high-water mark on the season.
Charlotte jumped out to a 7-0 lead with a flurry of runs in the middle innings. The onslaught began in the top of the third when Ryan Galanie roped an RBI single to centerfield. Caden Connor collected an RBI single of his own in the fourth inning and Edgar Quero followed suit with a run-plating hit of his own.
In the fifth, Junior Perez joined the action with an RBI single back up the middle. Up 4-0, Connor stepped back to the plate a launched a three-run homer.
The run support was plenty for Charlotte’s starting pitcher. Six days after firing a complete game shutout, Sandlin was at his best once again. The right-hander matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts and did it in only 5.2 innings of work.
Joey Wiemer added a two-run homer late in the contest and was one of four Knights players to finish the game with two hits.
Charlotte will attempt to keep their winning ways going, and their playoff hopes intact, with Game Five against Gwinnett on Saturday. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05pm ET.