LAWRENCEVILLE — The Gwinnett Braves tallied 10 hits in the first four innings Tuesday, but also took advantage of three Indianapolis errors to grab a 6-3 win over the Indians at Coolray Field.
The G-Braves’ hit parade began with their first batter of the game when Eric Young, Jr.doubled to left field off Indians’ left-handed starter Clayton Richard (L, 3-2). Young scored on a single by Christian Bethancourt to open a 1-0 lead.
Gwinnett’s next two runs were the result of an error and a walk in the third inning. Jose Peraza led off that inning with a double and scored on a throwing error by left fielder Jaff Decker. With two outs and the bases loaded, Mycal Jones drew a walk that plated Bethancourt and gave the G-Braves a 3-0 lead.
Young scored again in the fourth inning on a groundout to shortstop by Bethancourt that put Gwinnett (35-35) in front 4-1 after Indianapolis scored its first run in the top half of the frame.
G-Braves’ right-handed starter Sugar Ray Marimon held Indianapolis to two singles and a walk in the first three innings, but a walk to Willy Garcia followed by an RBI double from John Bowker got the Indians their first run of the night.
That was also Marimon’s final inning of work. G-Braves’ staff visited the mound to look at Marimon after the walk to Garcia, and he did not return for the fifth. He finished his night with one run allowed on three hits, two walks and a strikeout in 61 pitches (36 strikes).
Right-hander Jake Brigham (W, 1-0) entered the game in relief of Marimon, making his G-Braves’ debut against the team he made 18 appearances for a year ago. Brigham set the Indians down in order and had two strikeouts in the fifth inning, but he gave up a one-out double to Decker in the sixth. Decker stole third base and scored on an infield single by Brent Morel to cut Gwinnett’s lead to 4-2.
The margin narrowed to one run when Morel launched a two-out solo home run to left field off Brigham in the eighth inning, but Gwinnett responded with two runs in bottom of the inning against right-handed reliever Blake Wood.
Both runs came on the same play without the benefit of a hit. With two outs and runners on second and third, Wood threw a wild pitch that let Jones score. Young began the play at second base but came all the way around to score when catcher Tony Sanchez threw the ball past Wood in an attempt to catch Jones at home plate.
Left-hander Greg Smith (H, 1) got the first out of the ninth inning, and righty Peter Moylanfinished the game with a strikeout of Sanchez and a groundout to second base by Pedro Florimon. That gave Brigham his first victory with Gwinnett. Brigham threw 4.0 innings and allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
After Richard’s rocky start, the Indianapolis starter retired the final seven batters he faced to get through 6.0 innings. Three of the four runs he allowed were earned. He also yielded 10 hits, walked one, hit two and struck out three. Left-hander Bobby LaFromboise pitched a perfect seventh inning that included a strikeout.
The top three batters in the G-Braves’ lineup, Young, Peraza and Bethancourt, each had two hits and Bethancourt drove in two runs. That trio combined to go 6-for-13 and scored five of the team’s six runs. Jones scored the other run and had an RBI in his 2-for-3 effort.
Morel finished 2-for-4 with his fifth home run of the season and two RBIs for Indianapolis. Bowker also went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Gwinnett will play the third game of their four-game series against Indianapolis at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday at Coolray Field. Right-hander Mike Foltynewicz (0-4, 3.90 ERA) will start for the G-Braves, and right-handed starter Adrian Sampson (6-5, 3.39 ERA) will counter for the Indians. Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM and WSBRadio.com beginning at 6 p.m.
It’s “Winning Wednesday” at Coolray Field, when fans can follow the on-field action for a chance to win great prizes durin Baseball Bingo. Kids ages 12 and under will also receive a voucher for a free hot dog, chips and soft drink when they enter the stadium. To purchase tickets, call the Coolray Field Ticket Office at 678-277-0340 or visit GwinnettBraves.com/tickets.
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