LAWRENCEVILLE – Outfielder Mycal Jones set a new career high with five RBIs and left-handed starter Manny Banuelos matched the longest start of his career Saturday to lead the Gwinnett Braves to an 8-0 win over the Durham Bulls at Coolray Field.
Jones had already set a new team high for RBIs in a game this season with four before the end of the third inning. He drove in two with a double in the second inning and plated two more on a single in the third against Durham left-handed starter Everett Teaford (L, 3-5).
Jones’ final RBI and the G-Braves’ last run of the night came on a single in the seventh inning off of left-handed reliever Jordan Norberto, who allowed the lone run on one hit and two walks with two strikeouts in his 2.1 innings of work.
Meanwhile, Banuelos (W, 5-0) tied a season-high in strikeouts with seven in 7.0 scoreless innings. All three of the hits he allowed were singles, and no Durham runner reached beyond first base until the fifth inning when he issued two of his three walks.
Banuelos retired eight of the final nine batters he faced and did not give up a hit past the fourth inning. The outing was his longest since he also went 7.0 innings on August 29, 2011 with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre vs. Pawtucket.
Right-handed reliever Kanekoa Texeira threw the final 2.0 innings to help the G-Braves (27-27) move back to the .500 mark for the first time since May 10 when they were 15-15. Texeira gave up one hit and one walk to go with a single strikeout.
Ryan Lavarnway drove in the other three runs for Gwinnett. He singled home Daniel Castrofor the first tally of the three-run third inning and launched his second home run in as many nights in the fifth. His two-run shot extended the G-Braves’ lead to 7-0 against Teaford, who threw 108 pitches in 5.2 innings. He finished with seven runs allowed on 12 hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
Every member of the G-Braves’ lineup reached base at least once, but Jones was the only batter with three hits in his four at-bats. Lavarnway went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in addition to his three RBIs. Castro and Sean Kazmar both went 2-for-5 with a run scored.
Richie Shaffer was the only Bulls’ batter to reach second base against Banuelos, as he was the first recipient of back-to-back walks in the fifth. He also walked in the seventh and singled in the second inning. The only other Durham hitter to reach base more than once was Taylor Motter, who singled in the fourth and walked in the eighth.
The G-Braves will go for a sweep of their three-game series vs. the Bulls (31-26) at 2:05 p.m. Sunday at Coolray Field. Right-hander Matt Wisler (3-3, 3.58 ERA) gets the start for Gwinnett, while righty Dylan Floro (5-4, 3.36 ERA) will take the mound for Durham. Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM and WSBRadio.com beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Also on Sunday, fans will have a chance to view, touch and learn about public safety vehicles from Gwinnett County emergency response units outside the stadium as part of “Touch-A-Truck Day” at the ballpark in addition to regular “Sunday Funday” activities. Fans will have the chance to participate in Pre-Game Catch on the Field for the first 20 minutes after the gates open, and kids will be able to run the bases following the game. To purchase tickets, call the Coolray Field Ticket Office at 678-277-0340 or visit GwinnettBraves.com/tickets.
