Knights Bitten in the Eighth Inning Once Again

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – The Charlotte Knights dropped Sunday afternoon’s ballgame against the Gwinnett Stripers in an all-too-familiar fashion. The Knights carried a one-run lead into the bottom of the eighth that was erased on a two-out, pinch-hit Grand Slam. The Stripers went on to claim a 5-2 win.

Both of the Knights’ runs came via solo Home Runs. Tim Elko left the yard in the top of the first inning and Jake Cave added a round-tripper in the fourth. The Stripers were held to only one run over the game’s first seven innings; however, their four-spot in the eighth was the difference.

Noah Schultz continued the positive trend of starting pitching for Charlotte. The lefty worked four effective innings that included four strikeouts and only two hits allowed.

Aidan Anderson, Chris Murphy, and Tanner McDougal all worked a scoreless inning behind Schultz and kept the one-run lead intact.

In the eighth, Gwinnett loaded the bases on a single sandwiched between two walks. Jairo Iriarte was called into action and the right-hander recorded two quick outs without allowing any damage. The next batter, Rowdy Tellez, jumped on Iriarte’s first offering and sent it over the right-field wall.

Following the off day Monday, the Knights return to Truist Field for their final homestand of the 2026 season. Charlotte will welcome the Buffalo Bisons to town and Tuesday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm ET.