JACKSONVILLE, Florida – The Gwinnett Stripers (36-32, 74-68) scored twice in the top of the 10th inning and held on to defeat the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (28-39, 70-71) 3-2 on Friday night at VyStar Ballpark. JR Ritchie struck out nine over 6.0 one-run innings in a no-decision. Gwinnett leads the series 4-1.
Decisive Plays: Jacksonville scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a solo homer from Matthew Etzel (18). The Stripers tied it in the fourth as Rowdy Tellez walked and scored on a fielder’s choice groundout from Jordan Groshans. The game stayed tied 1-1 until the top of the 10th, when an RBI fielder’s choice by Luke Williams scored Jim Jarvis for a 2-1 lead. A double steal later in the inning by Williams and Lizandro Espinoza made it 3-1. In the bottom of the 10th, Etzel delivered an RBI single to cut it to 3-2, but Blake Burkhalter (S, 1) stranded the tying and winning runs on base with a game-ending strikeout of Brandon Compton.
Key Contributors: Groshans and Williams each tallied an RBI despite going a combined 0-for-6. Tellez (2-for-3, run) and Jose Azocar (2-for-4, double) each had multi-hit efforts for the Stripers. Tyler Uberstine (W, 2-2) struck out three in a scoreless ninth to send the game to extras. For Jacksonville, Etzel went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs.
Noteworthy: Gwinnett improves to 9-7 in extra-inning games with the victory. Over his last six starts since August 8, Ritchie is 1-1 with a 2.14 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, .167 BAA, and 11.76 SO/9.0 IP ratio (44 strikeouts). Burkhalter lowered his ERA to 1.93, tops in the International League among relievers dating back to July 3.
Next Game (Saturday, September 12): Gwinnett Stripers at Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 6:35 p.m. ET at VyStar Ballpark. Radio Broadcast: 6:20 p.m on MyCountry993.com. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live.