Rece Hinds powers Jacksonville past Gwinnett with two home runs, 14-2

Rece Hinds turned Wednesday night at VyStar Ballpark into a showcase for Jacksonville’s power, homering twice as the Jumbo Shrimp rolled past Gwinnett 14-2. The Shrimp hit four home runs in all, and the barrage kept the Stripers from ever climbing back into the game.

Jacksonville entered at 36-29 and Gwinnett at 33-32, but the gap on the field looked much wider once Hinds started driving the ball with authority. His two blasts set the tone for an offense that kept stacking pressure rather than settling for one big swing, and the result was a game that quickly tilted into a runaway.

Jacob Berry added to the damage with a ninth-inning home run, underscoring how deep the production ran through the lineup. That mattered as much as the final margin itself: Jacksonville did not need one isolated rally or one hot hitter to carry the night, because the Shrimp kept finding power from multiple spots in the order while the pitching and defense protected the lead.

The 14-2 final also gave Jacksonville a needed answer against a Gwinnett club that had caused problems earlier in the season. The Stripers beat the Shrimp 2-0 on April 21 despite Jacksonville allowing no hits, and they edged Jacksonville 6-5 on June 5 after a late comeback bid fell short. This time, Jacksonville flipped the script in emphatic fashion and tied the six-game series at 1-1.

The win came in the middle of a June 9-14 homestand at VyStar Ballpark, the kind of stretch that can swing momentum for a Triple-A club trying to stay sharp in a tight race. For Jacksonville, the headline was not just that it won, but how it won: with Hinds powering the show, Berry joining the long-ball party and a four-homer outburst that turned a competitive series into a statement night.