Louisville rallies to upend G-Braves

LAWRENCEVILLE -- The Gwinnett Braves were in line to win their second straight contest over Louisville, but the Bats rallied from four down to stun the G-Braves 5-4 on Saturday night at Coolray Field.<br /> <br /> A crowd of 6,372 saw the G-Braves enter the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead, but right-hander Jorge Reyes allowed the Bats (39-37) to come back. He struggled to find the strike zone, walking the first two batters of the inning before giving up an RBI single to Ruben Gotay, cutting the lead to 4-2. After Reyes walked Steve Selsky to load the bases, right-hander James Hoyt was brought on from the bullpen. Hoyt allowed a bases-clearing double to Tucker Barnhart, giving the bats their first lead of the series at 5-4.<br /> <br /> Pedro Villarreal (W, 2-1) was the beneficiary of the comeback, earning the victory with a scoreless frame in the eighth, while Justin Freeman (S, 1) tallied the save with a perfect ninth inning.<br /> <br /> The bullpen spoiled a great start by Daniel Rodriguez, who was in line to win his first game since May 13 at Buffalo. The left-hander tossed 6.2 innings of one-run baseball, scattering four hits and striking out six. Reyes (L, 0-2) took the loss, allowing four earned runs on one hit and four walks.<br /> <br /> Gwinnett (36-38) got off to a good start despite the loss, scoring the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Mark Hamilton laced a one-out double to center off Chien-Ming Wang and advanced to third on back-to-back walks to Joey Terdoslavich and Ozzie Martinez. Two batters later, Jose Constanza cranked a single to left, making it 1-0.<br /> <br /> The G-Braves added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Singles by Phil Gosselin and Tyler Pastornicky put runners on the corners for Hamilton, who promptly laced a double down the right field line, extending the lead to 3-0. Martinez capped the scoring with an RBI single, making it 4-0.<br /> <br /> After being stymied for six scoreless innings by Rodriguez, the Bats finally broke through in the seventh inning. Back-to-back singles by Thomas Neal and Donald Lutz put runners on first and second with no outs, but Juan Silverio hit into a double play to erase Lutz. Rodriguez looked to be out of trouble, but Selsky laced a single up the middle to cut the lead to 4-1.<br /> <br /> Hamilton paced the Gwinnett attack, going 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs. Constanza added two hits, an RBI and a stolen base. Pastornicky and Gosselin chipped in with two hits each.<br /> <br /> Barnhart had the big night for Louisville, finishing 1-for-3 with three RBIs.<br /> <br /> The Gwinnett Braves and Louisville Bats play game three of the four-game series on Sunday at Coolray Field, first pitch scheduled for 2:05 PM. Right-hander Yunesky Maya (3-1, 2.21) will start for the G-Braves, while left-hander David Holmberg (0-4, 7.39) will counter for the Bats. Tony Schiavone will have the play-by-play call beginning at 1:50 PM on WDUN.com, GwinnettBraves.com, Tune-In Radio and the MiLB First Pitch app. The game will also be televised on the MeTV network, WSB-TV Channel 2.2 with broadcasters Mike Morgan, Dave Lezotte and Van Earl Wright.<br /> <br /> Sunday is Family FunDay at Coolray Field, featuring Pre-Game Catch in the Outfield (beginning when gates open and lasting 20 minutes) and the Post-Game Kids Base Run (kids 12 and under) sponsored by Kid-to-Kid Buford. Tickets are on sale now at the Coolray Field Ticket Office, call 678-277-0340 or visit GwinnettBraves.com to purchase.

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