The Memphis Redbirds earned a late-inning, 6-5 victory over the Gwinnett Stripers on Wednesday afternoon at AutoZone Park.
Tied 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Memphis got the first two runners aboard via a walk and base hit. After a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third, reliever Tyler Ferguson recorded a strikeout and got two strikes on Chase Pinder before throwing a wild pitch that scored the runner from third.
Genesis Cabrera (S, 1) sat down the side in the ninth to record his first save with Memphis this season.
The Redbirds led 2-0 early thanks to an RBI single from Luken Baker and a solo home run from Clint Coutler. Jake Marisnick tied the game with a two-run blast in the third inning while Taylor Motter crushed a three-run homer in the fifth to put Gwinnett up 5-2 at the time.
Justin Toerner had the big hit for Memphis, hitting a three-run homer of his own to tie the game in the sixth. Toerner also laid down the sacrifice bunt in the eighth that put the winning run at third.
Kyle Leahy made his Triple-A debut and lasted 3.2 innings in relief. Kodi Whitley (1-0) earned his first win with a scoreless eighth inning in which he struck out the final two batters.
The Memphis Redbirds (70-93) continue their six-game series with the Gwinnett Stripers (66-75) on Thursday, September 22 at AutoZone Park. LHP Matthew Liberatore is slated to start against RHP Mike Soroka. For tickets and more information, fans can call 901-721-6000 or visit memphisredbirds.com.
