Charlotte drops Gwinnett 6-4

FORT MILL, S.C. - The Charlotte Knights defeated the Gwinnett Braves 6-4 on Thursday night in Fort Mill, South Carolina. After Gwinnett scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 3-2 lead, Charlotte struck right back and scored four times in the bottom of the frame to re-take the lead.

With the loss, the G-Braves fall to 75-58 on the season while Charlotte improves to 63-69.

Chris Burke extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a fifth-inning single. But his second hit of the night, in the seventh inning, was a lot more important to Gwinnett. After Barbaro Canizares and Diory Hernandez reached on back-to-back singles, Burke followed with a two-run triple to right field. His first triple of the season tied the game at two and chased Charlotte starter Lucas Harrell, who had held Gwinnett scoreless in the first six frames.

Before he got into his seventh-inning trouble, Harrell held the G-Braves to just three hits. But Harrell was pulled after he allowed three-straight hits including the Burke triple in the top half of the seventh. He was charged with all three runs in the seventh after Charlotte reliever Ehren Wassermann allowed Burke to score on a Gregor Blanco single. The two-out single from Blanco gave the G-Braves a 3-2 advantage.

After using a season-high seven relievers in an 11-inning contest on Wednesday, Gwinnett starter Jo-Jo Reyes gave the G-Braves a much needed 6 2/3 innings. And Reyes kept Gwinnett in the game until a throwing error by Canizares in the seventh inning allowed the Knights to tie the game at three.

After not allowing a walk in the first six innings, Reyes walked the Knights’ first batter, Stefan Gartrell, in the seventh inning. Gartrell moved to second on a ground out and later scored on Dewayne Wise’s infield single followed by a throwing error from Canizares.

The error led to an unraveling in the inning. Reyes allowed the next batter, Keith Ginter, to double home Wise for the 4-3 Charlotte lead. After retiring the next batter, Reyes was pulled and reliever Vladimir Nunez was called in. The first batter Nunez faced was Michael Restovich, who had already hit a solo home run off Reyes in the fourth inning. Restovich repeated the feat, taking the first pitch he saw from Nunez over the center field wall. His second home run of the night and fourth against the G-Braves in the last three games gave Charlotte a 6-3 lead.

Wassermann, who allowed Gwinnett to take the temporary lead in the seventh inning, held the G-Braves off the scoreboard in the eighth inning to earn his seventh win of the season. He is now 7-3 with a 3.71 ERA.

Knights’ reliever Kelvin Jimenez served up a solo home run to Gwinnett catcher Alvin Colina in the ninth inning but retired the last two G-Braves to earn his first save with Charlotte.

Reyes was charged with five earned runs in just his second loss of the season. He is now 3-2 with a 3.16 ERA. Gwinnett got a pair of hits from Canizares, Burke and Colina on Thursday.

Gwinnett will try to avoid the sweep in the three-game set on Friday night in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The G-Braves will send Atlanta Braves’ right-handed rehab Tim Hudson (1-0, 3.39 ERA) to the mound in the series finale. The Knights are expected to start southpaw Wes Whisler (9-11, 3.85 ERA). First pitch in the finale is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

Individual tickets for Round One of the 2009 Governors’ Cup playoffs will go on sale Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 10 a.m. Playoff tickets and Gwinnett Braves 2009 regular season individual tickets are available at gwinnettbraves.com, the Gwinnett Stadium Box Office, all TicketMaster outlets and by calling 1-800-745-3000.


SCORING RECAP
Fourth Inning (1-0, CHA)
--CHA--Michael Restovich hits a solo home run to right-center field.

Fifth Inning (2-0, CHA)
--CHA--Cole Armstrong led off the inning with a double to right field. Armstrong later scored on a single from Dewayne Wise.

Seventh Inning (6-3, CHA)
--GWN--Barbaro Canizares and Diory Hernandez reach on back-to-back singles. Both score on Chris Burke’s triple to right field.
--CHA--Stefan Gartrell drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on a ground out. Gartrell then scored on Dewayne Wise’s infield single. Keith Ginter plated Wise with a double to left field. With two out, Michael Restovich hit a two-run home run to center field.

Ninth Inning (6-4, CHA)
--GWN--Alvin Colina hits home run to left field.