FORT MILL, S.C. -- The Gwinnett Braves dropped the opener of a two-game series on Thursday against at the Charlotte Knights, falling 6-2 in Fort Mill, S.C.
Gwinnett's Yohan Flande couldn't make his last start before heading back to the bullpen a winning one, as the G-Braves fell behind midway and never recovered.
The loss kept G-Braves (61-50) in second place in the International League South, 1.5 games behind Durham, while the Knights (53-59) remained third in the division.
After 4 innings of scoreless work, Flande encountered trouble, yielding two singles and two doubles to the first five Knights batters of the fifth inning. The scoring burst overturned a 1-0 Gwinnett lead, putting the visitors in a 3-1 hole they could not overcome.
Flande (7-6) went 5 innings, yielding 3 runs and scattering 8 hits with 4 strikeouts. Flande is being replaced in the Gwinnett starting rotation by one of Atlanta's top prospects, RHP Randall Delgado -- just up from Double-A Mississippi.
Offensively, G-Braves shortstop Tyler Pastornicky led the way with 2 RBIs, extending his hitting streak to nine games and keeping his stellar average since joining up in Triple-A at exactly .400. Centerfielder Jeff Fiorentino, who came into the contest hitting .462 off of Charlotte pitching this season, also went 1-for-3.
Gwinnett takes on Charlotte in game two of the mini road swing on Friday night at 7:15 p.m.. The Braves will send out RHP Erik Cordier (3-7, 5.31) vs. Knights RHP Dylan Axelrod (2-1, 2.14) . As always, the game can be heard on the home of the G-Braves, WDUN 550 AM/102.9 FM with the voice of the G-Braves, Tony Schiavone calling all the action. Fans can also follow the game at Twitter.com/GwinnettBraves1, or with gametracker or MiLB TV at www.MiLB.com.
Thursday
April 24th, 2025
5:41PM
