Columbus Clips Bulls With 10-7 Win
Bulls designated hitter Jake Mangum collected two hits and drove in two runs while left fielder Heriberto Hernandez crushed a home run, however Clippers second baseman Angel Martinez mashed four hits and first baseman Juan Brito and left fielder Johnathan Rodriguez combined for five hits and seven runs driven in
Bulls designated hitter Jake Mangum collected two hits and drove in two runs while left fielder Heriberto Hernandez crushed a home run, however Clippers second baseman Angel Martinez mashed four hits and first baseman Juan Brito and left fielder Johnathan Rodriguez combined for five hits and seven runs driven in as part of Columbus’s 10-7 victory on Friday night at Huntington Park.
Following a 41-minute delayed start due to inclement weather, the Bulls struck for four runs in the opening frame, highlighted by Mangum’s RBI single to left and Hernandez’s two-run blast to left. The Clippers would get one of those tallies back in the last of the first before surging ahead with a five-run third to take a 6-4 lead.
Columbus would then add two in the fourth and another score in the fifth to extend the advantage to 9-4, though Durham made it a two-run game courtesy of SS Osleivis Basabe’s two-run single to right, followed by Mangum’s run-scoring double off the center field wall in a three-run seventh frame. The Bulls would not be able to erase the deficit any further, though, with the Clippers adding an insurance run in the eighth.
Mangum (2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB), Hernandez (2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI) and 3B Curtis Mead (2-5, 2 R, 1 2B) each posted two-hit efforts for Durham. With his two knocks, Mangum increased his International League leading batting average to .324 with 14 regular season games remaining.
Columbus starter Connor Gillispie (5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO) earned the victory, while Peter Strzelecki (1.0 IP, 1 SO) notched his ninth save. Bulls southpaw Joe Rock (4.0 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) suffered the defeat.
The two teams are set to continue their six-game set on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05pm.
Durham returns home for their final homestand of the 2024 campaign on Tuesday, September 10 for a six-game series versus the Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The series opener is scheduled for a 6:35pm first pitch.
Tickets for all remaining 2024 Durham Bulls home contests are available and can be purchased online at DurhamBulls.com.