The first big swing sent Luke Williams drifting toward the wall in left, though there was never much chance he would reach it. Jhostynxon Garcia’s drive carried deep into the field house, putting Gwinnett in a three-run hole four batters into the night and setting the course for a 15-0 loss to Indianapolis on Thursday at Gwinnett Field.
By the time Nick Cimillo launched a grand slam to right in the sixth, the Stripers’ pitching staff had surrendered 15 runs and the offense was still searching for its first hit.
Drue Hackenberg, back from Double-A, allowed eight earned runs on 11 hits over five innings. He struck out five and walked one, but Indianapolis kept adding to Garcia’s opening blow: a run in the third, another in the fourth and three more in the fifth.
Stripers assistant pitching coach Tyler Dalton had spoken before the game about the uneven development young pitchers inevitably experience.
“You know, it’s not always going to be, like, great outings every time you go out. Like, guys are going to have some rough ones, and you know what? Even they’re able to take things from that.”
— Tyler Dalton, Stripers Assistant Pitching Coach
This was one of those rough ones from the outset. Mitch Jebb opened the game with an infield single, and Enmanuel Valdez singled two batters later. Garcia kept his hands inside Hackenberg’s 2-0 sinker and drove it out to left for a three-run homer, his ninth of the season.
Valdez doubled home Jebb in the third. An inning later, Nick Cimillo doubled and scored on Duce Gourson’s two-out single. The game broke open in the fifth, when Mike Jarvis delivered an RBI double and Tyler Callihan drove a line over the right-field wall for a two-run homer and an 8-0 lead.
Hackenberg’s line stood in sharp contrast to Gwinnett’s recent work from its starters, which Dalton had praised before first pitch. The assistant pitching coach also emphasized that poor results can still become part of a pitcher’s progress, an important perspective for a staff that has dealt with constant roster turnover.
“I think for us, it’s really just be adaptable as a staff. I think that’s the biggest thing is just be adaptable and help whoever’s here.”
— Tyler Dalton, Stripers Assistant Pitching Coach
The difficult night extended beyond Hackenberg. Ricky Vanasco entered for the sixth and recorded one out while being charged with seven earned runs. He walked three, surrendered Valdez’s second double and allowed run-scoring singles to Garcia and Callihan.
Cimillo supplied the inning’s final and loudest blow. With the bases loaded, he lifted a drive toward right that sent José Azócar back only briefly before he stopped and watched it clear the wall. The grand slam completed a seven-run inning and ended Vanasco’s outing.
Indianapolis finished with 17 hits and three home runs. Garcia went 2-for-4 with a walk and four RBIs, while Cimillo went 3-for-5 with a homer, a double and four RBIs.
Tyler Uberstine halted the scoring with 2 2/3 scoreless innings and two strikeouts. Infielder Cal Conley handled the ninth, working around two singles to post a scoreless inning with one strikeout.
The Stripers had little room to answer. Connor Wietgrefe held them hitless through six innings, striking out seven and walking two. David McCabe ended the no-hit bid with a ground-ball single to right leading off the seventh, and Brett Wisely added another single later in the inning, but a double play helped Indianapolis escape without damage.
Patrick Clohisy provided Gwinnett’s only extra-base hit in the ninth. In his return from the injured list, he lined a ball into right and reached second standing for his 10th double. It was the last flicker in a three-hit shutout, one overwhelmed long before by an opening homer, a relentless Indianapolis lineup and a seven-run inning that turned a difficult game into a rout.