Stripers Start Fast, Fall Late in 11-6 Extra-Inning Loss to Memphis

By Brady Penn

Guest Writer

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – The Gwinnett Stripers (4-8, 42-44) held a 5-1 lead after five innings, but a late surge by the Memphis Redbirds (6-7, 53-35) snatched them the series opener 11-6 in 10 innings on Tuesday night at Gwinnett Field. Gwinnett tied the game at 6-6 in the ninth but allowed five runs in the top of the 10^th.

Decisive Plays:  The Stripers took a 3-0 lead in the second inning on a bases-loaded walk from Ben Gamel, sacrifice fly from Adam Zebrowski, and RBI single from Cal Conley. Memphis cut it to 3-1 in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Nolan Gorman (3). In the bottom of the fourth, the Stripers answered with two more runs on RBI hits from Conley and DaShawn Keirsey Jr., making it 5-1. A three-run homer in the sixth by Leo Bernal (10) trimmed the lead to one at 5-4. In the ninth, the Redbirds took their first lead of the night with a two-run blast off the bat of Matt Koperniak for a 6-5 advantage. Gwinnett rallied in the bottom of the ninth to tie it when Keirsey Jr. dropped a single into right field for a 6-6 deadlock. With two in scoring position and two outs, the Stripers could not push across the winning run. Memphis exploded for five runs in the 10th, highlighted by a two-run single from Koperniak. Trailing 11-6, Gwinnett went down in order in the bottom half of the frame.

Key Contributors: Conley (3-for-3, 2 RBIs) and Keirsey Jr. (2-for-5, triple, 2 RBIs) combined to drive in four of Gwinnett’s six runs. Drue Hackenberg threw 5.2 innings (4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 7 SO) in a no-decision. For Memphis, both Bernal (2-for-5, homer, 4 RBIs) and Koperniak (2-for-4, homer, 4 RBIs) had four-RBI nights.

Noteworthy: The loss marked Gwinnett’s first this season when leading after eight innings (now 34-1). With his ninth inning steal, Keirsey Jr. took sole possession of the team lead (33). Hackenberg's 5.2 innings marked his longest outing of the 2026 season.

Next Game (Wednesday, July 8):  Gwinnett Stripers vs. Memphis Redbirds, 6:35 p.m. ET at Gwinnett Field. It's Wet Nose Wednesday, with free admission for dogs with a paid owner. TV Broadcast: 6:30 p.m. on Peachtree Sports Network.  Radio Broadcast: 6:20 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live.