LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – The Gwinnett Stripers (6-9, 44-45) trailed 5-4 in the ninth inning but prevailed with a Brewer Hicklen walk-off home run to defeat the Memphis Redbirds (7-9, 54-37) 6-5 on Friday night at Gwinnett Field. The Stripers walked it off for the second consecutive game courtesy of Hicklen’s team-leading 16th clout. The series is tied 2-2.
Decisive Plays: Memphis jumped ahead 3-0 in the first inning on a home run off the bat of Leo Bernal (11). The Stripers knotted things up at 3-3 in the bottom of the third as DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Jair Camargo laced back-to-back RBI base hits. Gwinnett took a 4-3 lead in the fifth thanks to a Rowdy Tellez solo shot to right field (9). The Redbirds struck back and tied it with two outs in the sixth on a solo homer by Yohel Pozo (3). The game remained deadlocked until a ninth-inning single by Ramon Mendoza pushed Memphis ahead 5-4. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Brett Wisely dropped a single into left field to put the tying run aboard. One batter later with two strikes, Hicklen launched a towering walk-off blast (16) off the bricks in left field.
Key Contributors: Hicklen (2-for-4, homer, 2 RBIs) drove in the winning run with his second home run of the series. Herick Hernandez (5.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 SO) tossed his second-longest outing of the season in his Triple-A debut. Hayden Harris (W, 5-3) surrendered the lead in the ninth but earned the win. For Memphis, Pozo (2-for-4, double, homer, RBI) had a multi extra-base hit night.
Noteworthy: Hicklen hit the 22nd walk-off home run in Gwinnett history, first since Matthew Batten’s solo shot to beat Durham 2-1 in game two of a doubleheader on September 4, 2025. Tellez's home run was his first with Gwinnett since May 9 at Norfolk. Keirsey’s two-RBI night extended his RBI streak to four games (6 total).
Next Game (Saturday, July 11): Gwinnett Stripers vs. Memphis Redbirds, 6:05 p.m. ET at Gwinnett Field. We're turning Gwinnett Field into Andy's Room for Disney's Toy Story Night. Join us for an immersive night of toybox magic. The first 1,000 fans receive a Stripers Cowboy Hat. TV Broadcast: 6:00 p.m. on Peachtree Sports Network. Radio Broadcast: 5:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live.