Braves Minor League Recap: Justin Dean homer leads Gwinnett to win in finale

Sunday saw the minor league season come to a close as Gwinnett came from behind to grab a win on a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth from Justin Dean. We also got to see Vaughn Grissom end his 2023 minor league season in a loud manner, while Drake Baldwin had some additional success in his short taste of Triple-A.

Gwinnett Stripers 7, Durham Bulls 6

Box Score

• Vaughn Grissom, SS: 3-4, 2B, 2 R, SB, .330/.419/.501
• Drake Baldwin, DH: 1-5, R, RBI, .333/.333/.583
• Justin Dean, CF: 1-3, HR, BB, R, 3 RBI, .164/.307/.270
• Jared Shuster, SP: 3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 5.01 ERA

Jared Shuster got the start and battled with his command through three innings. Shuster allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits and four walks over those three innings, striking out five and throwing 42 off 73 pitches for strikes against a strong Durham lineup. After Shuster the Stripers emptied the pen, using five different relievers to finish off this game. Domingo Robles followed and went two innings, allowing three runs in the fifth inning. Then Nick Anderson, Daysbel Hernandez, Lucas Luetge, and Brian Moran each went a scoreless inning with one strikeout, allowing Gwinnett to crawl back into the lead and take the victory.

The offensive star was Vaughn Grissom, who closed out his minor league season going three for four with a double, steal, and two runs scored. Grissom ends with a .330 average and .419 on base percentage to go with a slugging percentage of .501. Drake Baldwin followed his Saturday homer with a hit in five at bats, while Justin Dean hit a three-run homer to put the Stripers ahead in the bottom of the eighth. Joe Dunand and Braden Shewmake added two-hit games as well, while Hoy Park drew a pair of walks and Dominic Miroglio was one for one with a double and three walks.