LAWRENCEVILLE — Right-handed starter Ryan Weber held the Norfolk Tides to two hits over 6.0 scoreless innings, and the Gwinnett Braves didn’t allow a hit past the second inning in a 2-0 victory on Saturday at Coolray Field.
The G-Braves’ 1(72-62) 3th shutout win of the season pulled them to within 2.0 games of the first-place Tides (74-60) in the International League South Division. Gwinnett has also clinched a finish of .500 or better for the first time since 2011 when the club went 78-65.
Weber (W, 5-3) allowed a two-out single to Christian Walker in the first inning and a leadoff double to Rossmel Perez in the second, but those were the only Norfolk batters he allowed to reach base. He retired 15 consecutive hitters to complete his outing, which included four strikeouts in 76 pitches (49 strikes).
Right-handed reliever Brandon Cunniff (H, 1) walked a batter and had one strikeout in a scoreless seventh inning, righty David Carpenter (H, 10) tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning and right-hander Ryan Kelly (S, 13) struck out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Gwinnett established its lead in the team’s first trip to the plate against Norfolk left-handed starter Mike Belfiore (L, 5-12). Mallex Smith opened the frame with a bunt single. He moved to second on a passed ball, advanced third on a groundout by Todd Cunningham and scored on a groundout to shortstop by Hector Olivera.
The G-Braves began each of the first five innings with a hit, including doubles by Jose Yepez and Joey Terdoslavich in the third and fourth innings, respectively. However, they were unable to convert any of those opportunities and went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position while leaving seven on base.
Belfiore set Gwinnett down in order in the sixth and seventh innings, but Yepez got the club’s sixth leadoff hit of the night with a single to begin the eighth. Belfiore retired the next two batters and exited in favor of right-handed reliever Richard Rodriguez, who gave up a ground-rule double to Olivera on a ball that bounced over the center-field wall and intentionally walked Terdoslavich to load the bases.
Left-hander Dana Eveland took over to face Cedric Hunter, and he hit Hunter with the first pitch he threw to force home Yepez and give Gwinnett its two-run lead. Eveland got Sean Kazmar to fly out to right field on his only other pitch to end the inning.
Belfiore was charged with both runs, although one was unearned, on six hits in 7.2 innings. He struck out one and did not walk a batter while throwing 101 pitches (73 strikes).
Yepez was the only G-Braves’ batter with more than one of the team’s seven hits. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Smith’s first-inning single extended his hitting streak to eight games, which is his longest such streak since he joined Gwinnett on June 24.
The G-Braves and Tides will finish their four-game series at 2:05 p.m. on Sunday at Coolray Field. Gwinnett will send right-hander Kanekoa Texeira (6-4, 3.68 ERA) to the mound for the start, while Norfolk will go with right-hander Terry Doyle (2-1, 3.24 ERA). Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM and WSBRadio.com beginning at 1:30 p.m.
As part of “Sunday Funday,” fans will be able to participate in Pre-Game Catch on the Field for 20 minutes after the gates open at 1 p.m. Children ages 12 and under will also have the chance to be on the field after the game for Post-Game Kids Run the Bases, courtesy of Belhaven University. To purchase tickets, call the Coolray Field Ticket Office at 678-277-0340 or visit GwinnettBraves.com/tickets.
Saturday
May 4th, 2024
12:42PM
