G-Braves drop series opener to Charlotte, 4-2

LAWRENCEVILLE — Two innings’ worth of offense for the Charlotte Knights were enough to doom left-handed starter Greg Smith and the Gwinnett Braves to a 4-2 defeat on Saturday in the opener of a three-game series at Coolray Field.
 
Gwinnett (75-67) remains 2.0 games behind the Norfolk Tides (77-65) in the International League South Division race with two games to play. The Tides lost 2-0 to the Durham Bulls on Saturday in the first of a three-game set at Durham. The G-Braves would have to win their final two, and Norfolk would have to lose both of its final games for a one-game playoff to be scheduled for Tuesday, September 8 at Coolray Field.
 
Charlotte (74-68) got its first run off Smith in a second inning that included a leadoff double by Matt Tuiasosopo, a single by Kevan Smith and a single by Drew Garcia that scored Tuiasosopo before Smith recorded an out.
 
The G-Braves tied the game 1-1 in the third when a leadoff single by Mycal Jones turned into a run when Joey Terdoslavich hit a sacrifice fly to left field off Charlotte right-handed starter Hector Noesi.
 
The game stayed tied 1-1 until the seventh, when Smith gave up a one-out double to Kevan Smith and a two-out RBI triple to Chris Curley. Ethan Wilson then drove in Curley with a single to give Charlotte a 3-1 lead. After a walk to Micah Johnson, Smith was replaced with left-handed reliever Hunter Cervenka.
 
Cervenka retired four of the five batters he faced and struck out the side in the eighth inning, but Jason Coats greeted him in the seventh with an infield single to first base that allowed Wilson to score and give the Knights their fourth and final run.
 
Noesi (W, 4-4) pitched 6.0 innings with one run allowed on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts. He gave way to left-handed reliever Onelki Garcia (H, 3), and Gwinnett set out on a comeback attempt with a three-hit frame of its own in the bottom half of the seventh.
 
Sean Kazmar opened the inning with a single, advanced to third on a single by Luis Mateo and scored when Jose Yepez reached on a single up the middle. That run cut the deficit to 4-2, but that was as close as the G-Braves would get.
 
Gwinnett was unable to convert when Garcia walked Mallex Smith and Kazmar in the eighth inning, and right-hander Junior Guerra (S, 7) set the G-Braves down in order in the ninth. Garcia went 2.0 innings with a run allowed on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
 
All four of Charlotte’s runs were charged to Smith (L, 6-7), who went 6.2 innings. He gave up nine hits and walked one with two strikeouts. Righty Carlos Fisher pitched a perfect top of the ninth and struck out two batters.
 
Kazmar was the only Gwinnett batter with more than one hit, and none of the G-Braves’ six hits went for extra bases. Kazmar and Jones scored two runs, while Terdoslavich and Yepez each had an RBI.
 
Tuiasosopo and Kevan Smith both went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored to lead the Charlotte offense.
 
The G-Braves and Knights will play the middle game of their series at 2:05 p.m. on Sunday at Coolray Field. Right-hander Victor Mateo (3-3, 6:03 ERA) will take the mound for Gwinnett, while Charlotte will send right-hander Kyle Drabek (7-10, 3.66 ERA) to the mound. Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM and WSBRadio.com beginning at 1:30 p.m.
 
The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a large photo print of the 2015 G-Braves players and coaches on the final “Sunday Funday” of the season. All fans will also 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.