Wisely's grand slam powers Gwinnett past Charlotte, 9-5

Brett Wisely turned Truist Field into his stage Thursday night, blasting a grand slam in the top of the third inning and finishing 4-for-5 with five RBIs as the Gwinnett Stripers beat the Charlotte Knights 9-5. The swing was Wisely’s second home run of the season, and it immediately pushed Gwinnett in front 4-0, a cushion the Stripers never surrendered.

That early burst set the tone for one of Gwinnett’s most complete offensive nights of the week. With Sean Murphy, Rowdy Tellez and José Azocar aboard, Wisely drove the ball to right-center and cleared the bases with one cut, giving the Stripers a jolt that Charlotte never fully answered. Gwinnett kept forcing traffic and pressure throughout the night, and the lineup’s ability to stack quality at-bats around Wisely’s big swing kept the Knights from settling in or building any real momentum.

The win mattered in the standings as much as it did in the box score. Gwinnett improved to 19-11, while Charlotte fell to 14-16, and the Stripers moved ahead 2-1 in the series. In a Triple-A road game where one crooked inning can flip control fast, Gwinnett made sure the one decisive blow belonged to Wisely, then backed it up with enough offense to stay out in front even after Charlotte scored five runs.

The game began at 7:08 p.m. and lasted 3 hours and 11 minutes before 5,246 fans at Truist Field saw Gwinnett finish the job. For a club trying to win while still developing impact bats, Wisely’s night offered both immediate payoff and a reminder of how dangerous the Stripers can be when the lineup keeps pressure on an opponent from the first big swing to the final out.