Gwinnett pulls within 2 games of Clippers in playoff race with win

COLUMBUS, OHIO — The Gwinnett Braves broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in the top of the seventh inning and beat the Columbus Clippers by a 6-4 score Saturday night in game three of the four-game series at Huntington Park.
 
The win moves Gwinnett (65-56) just two games behind the Clippers in the International League Wild Card standings. The G-Braves remain 5 1/2  games behind Norfolk in the IL South as the Tides beat Louisville 1-0 on Saturday.
 
Hot hitting Christian Bethancourt got the G-Braves off on the right foot by lining a two-run home run to left off Clippers’ left-hander Ryan Merritt, making his first career Triple-A start. The shot by Bethancourt (4) also knocked in Eric Young, Jr. who had singled to right with one out.
 
In the bottom of the third, Gwinnett right-hander Kanekoa Texeira walked Erik Gonzalez and gave up a two-run homer to Anthony Gallas (2), tying the game at 2-2. Ryan Rohlinger followed with an infield single and scored on a double off the right-field wall by Michael Martinez, giving Columbus a 3-2 lead.
 
Gwinnett knotted the game at 3-3 in the top of the fourth. With two outs and the bases empty, Jordan Lennerton and Luis Mateo struck back-to-back singles to center and Mallex Smith reached on an infield single to load the bases. Merritt then walked Young to force in Lennerton from third for the tying run.
 
The game stayed tied until the top of the seventh when the G-Braves scored twice against left-hander Nick Maronde. Smith led off with a single to left, and Young reached first base on a sacrifice bunt that turned into an error by Maronde. Bethancourt drilled a single to center scoring Smith for a 4-3 lead, and Cedric Hunter followed with a single to right scoring Young to make it 5-3. The hit by Hunter extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
 
The G-Braves tacked on another run in the top of the eighth off Maronde as Mateo tripled to right and scored on a double to left by Smith. 
 
With Gwinnett up 6-3 in the top of the eighth, reliever Carlos Fisher gave up a solo homer to Adam Moore (6) to make it 6-4. But Fisher (H, 4) worked out of trouble the rest of the way, and Ryan Kelly (S, 9) struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to pick up the save and preserve the win.
 
Texeira (W, 6-3) won for the sixth consecutive start, establishing a new Gwinnett club record. He went 6.0 innings with six hits, three earned runs, three walks and six strikeouts. Left-hander Hunter Cervenka (H, 3) worked 0.2 innings with one hit and one walk. Fisher pitched 1.1 innings with one hit, one earned run, one walk and one strikeout. Kelly notched his team-leading ninth save with three strikeouts in a scoreless ninth.
 
Merritt went 6.0 innings with seven hits, three earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts. Maronde (L, 0-8) worked 3.0 innings with seven hits, three runs (two earned) and one strikeout.
 
Bethancourt and Smith led the Gwinnett offense, each going 3-for-5 with a run. Bethancourt recorded a game-high three RBIs. Hunter and Mateo each went 2-for-4, with Hunter adding his team leading 62nd RBI.
 
For the Clippers, Moore was 2-for-4 with a solo homer and Martinez was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. 
 
The G-Braves and Clippers (67-54)  conclude the four-game series Sunday night at Huntington Park. Right-hander Tyrell Jenkins (3-3, 3.24 ERA) will start for Gwinnett, while right-hander Jarrett Grube (5-0, 2.83 ERA) counters for the Clippers. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. Tony Schiavone has the call beginning at 5:30 p.m. on 97.7 FM and WSBRadio.com.