G-Braves Breeze Past Chiefs 6-1

Newcomb strikes out nine as Gwinnett wins third straight

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – The Gwinnett Braves (26-22) used a strong team pitching performance and timely offense to defeat the Syracuse Chiefs (15-30) 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at Coolray Field.

Over five solid innings, Gwinnett left-hander Sean Newcomb (W, 3-1) held the Chiefs to one run on three hits while walking three and striking out nine to earn his third win of the season. At the plate, Lane Adams went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a run scored, a stolen base and an RBI to lead the G-Braves to their third straight win.

Newcomb got off to a shaky start in the first inning, loading the bases on two walks and a single before striking out Caleb Ramsey to end the threat. In the second, Newcomb gave up a leadoff double to Grant Green and a two-out RBI single to Adrian Sanchez as the Chiefs took a 1-0 lead.

Syracuse starter Sean O’Sullivan made that lead stand up over 3.0 scoreless, one-hit innings.

Gwinnett evened the score in the bottom of the fourth against Syracuse reliever Cody Satterwhite (L, 0-2). Mel Rojas Jr.reached with a leadoff walk. Adams followed with a double to put two runners on base for Dustin Peterson. The Gwinnett left fielder hit a ground ball to third, and Green fielded the ball and threw to first for the out. On the throw, Rojas Jr. hustled to the plate and slid home with the tying run.

Following the RBI single by Sanchez, Newcomb retired 10 of the next 11 hitters he faced, striking out six. In the fourth, he struck out the side, all looking. He ended his start by retiring the side in order in the top of the fifth.

The G-Braves got Newcomb the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Anthony Recker hit his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot 408 feet to center field, to put Gwinnett up 2-1.

Gwinnett increased the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth against Satterwhite as Adams singled through a drawn-in Syracuse infield to score Johan Camargo, who led off the inning with a double. In the eighth, the G-Braves tacked on three more insurance runs as Rojas Jr. singled, Adams doubled and Dustin Peterson followed with a sharp single to center to plate them both. Carlos Franco capped the afternoon’s scoring with a double off Chiefs’ reliever Trevor Gott to score Peterson.

Reliever David Peterson (H, 3) replaced Newcomb in the sixth and pitched 2.0 scoreless innings. Caleb Dirks (S, 1) yielded a hit and struck out one over the final 2.0 innings, capping Gwinnett’s fifth win out of six games on the current homestand.

The G-Braves got multi-hit performances from Adams and Recker, while Rojas Jr. scored twice and Dustin Peterson drove in three runs. For Syracuse, Irving Falu recorded two hits in the loss.

In the finale of the series on Monday afternoon, right-hander Patrick Weigel (1-1, 7.71) will start for Gwinnett against Syracuse right-hander Greg Ross (2-3, 6.97). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. at Coolray Field. Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM The Other Side of the River beginning at 12:35 p.m.

Join the G-Braves as they honor the centennial of World War I on Memorial Day. There will be a mini American flag giveaway, courtesy of the U.S. Army. The Army will also have vehicles on hand for fans to explore as they enter the main gate. Fans will also receive poppy seeds, an internationally recognized symbol of remembrance for veteran sacrifice, as they enter Coolray Field. Monday is also “Dog Day Monday,” purchase a Coolray Field Lawn ticket and bring your dog in free! Offer is only valid for Lawn seating and dogs are not permitted on the Main Concourse. For tickets, call 678-277-0340 or visitGwinnettBraves.com/tickets.