TOLEDO, Ohio – Led by strong starts from AJ Smith-Shawver and Lucas Braun, the Gwinnett Stripers (10-9, 48-45) swept a doubleheader with 5-1 and 8-1 wins over the Toledo Mud Hens (10-10, 44-50) on Saturday night at Fifth Third Field. The Stripers, riding a season-best six-game winning streak, have clinched a victory of the three-game set in Toledo.
Decisive Plays (Game 1): The Stripers stranded four on base over the first two innings before finally breaking through in the third. Carlos Santana reached on an opposite-field single to right, and Brett Wisely cranked a two-run home run (5) to right-center field for a 2-0 Gwinnett lead. Two innings later, Jair Camargo tagged a two-run homer (4) to dead center to make it 4-0. Santana added a solo shot (1) to center in the sixth for insurance, raising the lead to 5-0. Toledo ended the shutout in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Max Anderson but got no closer than 5-1.
Key Contributors (Game 1): Wisely (2-for-3, homer, 2 RBIs), Camargo (1-for-4, homer, 2 RBIs), and Santana (2-for-3, homer, RBI) combined to drive in all five Gwinnett runs. Smith-Shawver, rehabbing for the Atlanta Braves, threw 72 pitches (43 strikes) to go 4.1 innings (4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO) in a no-decision. Hayden Harris (W, 6-3) struck out two of the three batters he faced to leave the bases loaded in the fifth.
Decisive Plays (Game 2): Gwinnett took a 3-0 lead in the second as Adam Zebrowski laced a two-run double to the left-center gap and scored on a looping double into the same gap by Cal Conley. The Stripers made it 4-0 in an unconventional way in the fifth, as Rowdy Tellez grounded into a 4-6-3-2 triple play that allowed Conley to score before Patrick Clohisy was tagged out at the plate. Four more runs in the sixth extended the lead to 8-0 as Luke Williams ripped a two-run double, Zebrowski smacked another RBI double, and Clohisy legged out an RBI infield single. Toledo avoided the shutout on an RBI double by Cal Stevenson in the seventh.
Key Contributors (Game 2): Braun (W, 3-2) spun 5.0 one-hit innings with two walks and three strikeouts. Zebrowski (2-for-3, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs), Williams (1-for-4, double, 2 RBIs), and Conley (2-for-3, double, RBI) all had run-scoring doubles. Jose Azocar went 4-for-4 with a run scored.
Noteworthy: Atlanta Braves’ outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. (1-for-3, 1 BB in game 1) and infielder Ha-Seong Kim (2-for-7, 2 doubles in games 1 and 2) both continued rehab assignments with the Stripers. Clohisy has started his Triple-A career with a four-game hitting streak, batting .600 (9-for-15, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBIs, 3 steals, 1.647 OPS). Tellez saw his three-game homer streak snapped in game two (0-for-4).
Next Game (Sunday, July 19): Gwinnett Stripers at Toledo Mud Hens, 4:05 p.m. ET at Fifth Third Field. Radio Broadcast: 3:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live.