Stripers Falter in Opener, Lose 8-1 to Indianapolis

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Gwinnett Stripers (33-37) struggled to hold off the Indianapolis Indians (41-29) offense in an 8-1 loss on Tuesday night at Coolray Field. Gwinnett was held to just six hits in dropping the opening game of the season’s final series.

Decisive Plays: Indianapolis put up three runs in the first inning on a run-scoring single from Nelson Velazquez followed by a two-run double from Brett Sullivan. The Stripers got a run back in the bottom half of the same frame on an RBI single from David McCabe. The Indians added on in the third with a two-run homer from Velazquez (9) to make it 5-1. That was followed by a pair of RBI singles from Jase Bowen and Nick Solak in the fourth to extend it to a 7-1 Indians lead. All seven runs were allowed by Stripers starter Carlos Carrasco (L, 6-4) across 4.0 innings. Indianapolis added one more run in the eighth on an RBI single by Sammy Siani.

Key Contributors: McCabe (1-for-4, RBI) drove in the lone Gwinnett run. Conner Capel (2-for-4, double) and Carlos Rodriguez (2-for-4) both finished with multi-hit games in the loss. Out of the bullpen, Anderson Pilar tossed 2.0 hitless innings while Enoli Paredes recorded 1.2 innings of his own without a hit to finish the game. For Indianapolis, Velazquez led the offense with a pair of hits including a homer along with three RBIs. Indians starter Drake Fellows (W, 9-6) tossed a quality start (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO).

Noteworthy: Stripers reliever Blake Burkhalter saw his scoreless innings streak end at 14.0 innings. The streak started on August 10 at Columbus. Gwinnett finishes the year 6-20 in series openers.

Next Game (Wednesday, September 17): Gwinnett Stripers vs. Indianapolis Indians, 12:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. Atlanta Braves' No. 12 prospect Lucas Braun (1-1, 2.25 ERA) gets the ball for the Stripers against LHP Hunter Barco (3-1, 3.77 ERA) of the Indians. Take in a Stripers game as part of a fun and educational environment for Education Day. Dogs receive free admission to the ballpark with a paid owner on The Bank for Wet Nose Wednesday. We're making experience dreams come true for five lucky fans, whether it's throwing out the first pitch or scoring a seat upgrade, you can dream big on Dream Days presented by Qualtrics. Radio Broadcast: 11:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live and MiLB.TV (Free Game of the Day).