G-Braves pick up fourth straight win

MOOSIC, Pa. –The Gwinnett Braves (12-13), behind the pitching of right-hander Matt Wisler and the bullpen, ran their winning streak to four games with a 3-1 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (12-14) Tuesday night in game one of the three-game series at PNC Field.
 
The win, combined with a 2-1 loss by Norfolk at Syracuse, put the G-Braves only one-half game out of third in the International League South Division.  Additionally, they pick up a game on first-place Charlotte, as the Knights lost at Columbus, 10-3.  Gwinnett now sits 2.5 games out of first.
 
The G-Braves never trailed in this one. They got the scoring started in the top of the second inning, as Todd Cunningham led off the inning with a single to center against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre right-handed starter Kyle Davies (L, 2-2).  Cunningham stole second base and moved to third on a groundout to second by Barrett Kleinknecht. Joe Benson then drilled a single to center to score Cunningham for a 1-0 lead.
 
In the top of the fourth, Cunningham doubled to right, moved to third on a groundout to shortstop by Elmer Reyes and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Kleinknecht to give Gwinnett a 2-0 lead.
 
The only run of the game for the RailRiders came in the bottom of the sixth, as back-to-back singles by Slade Heathcott and Ramon Flores off of Wisler put runners on the corners with nobody out.  After recording the first out, Wisler was pulled in favor of lefty Ian Thomas (H, 2) out of the bullpen.  Thomas got Kyle Roller to hit a fly ball to shallow left, but Cedric Hunter dropped the ball, allowing Heathcott to score from third to trim the Gwinnett lead to 2-1.
 
But the G-Braves got that run right back in the top of the seventh, as Kleinknecht laid down a bunt single and moved to second on a throwing error by Davies.  Benson singled to center, plating Kleinknecht for a 3-1 lead that held serve the rest of the way.
 
Wisler (W, 1-3) had his best performance of the young season by working 5 1/3 innings with five hits, one unearned run, one walk and a season-high seven strikeouts.  Thomas went 2 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings with one strikeout.  Right-hnader John Cornely (S, 1) went 1 1/3 innings with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.
 
Davies pitched 7 innings, gave up 10 hits with three earned runs and three strikeouts.  Jacob Lindgren worked 1 inning with one walk and two strikeouts.  Nick Rumbelow pitched 1 inning with two strikeouts.
 
At the plate for Gwinnett, Benson was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Cunningham went 2-for-3 with two runs.  Jose Peraza was 3-for-4 and collected a hit in each of his first three at bats.  That gave him hits in seven consecutive at-bats before he flied out to right in the top of the seventh.
 
The RailRiders were led by Heathcott, who was 3-for-4 with a run.
 
The G-Braves and RailRiders will meet in game two of the series at 10:35 a.m. Wednesday at PNC Field.  Right-hander Chien-Ming Wang (0-2, 5.55 ERA) gets the start for Gwinnett. The RailRiders will start righty Bryan Mitchell.  
 
Gwinnett’s next home game is May 11 at 6:35 p.m. against the Syracuse Chiefs.