Durham Falls 4-1, Drops Second Straight to Norfolk

DURHAM, NC - The Norfolk Tides handed the Durham Bulls their second straight loss Thursday night at the DBAP, earning a 4-1 victory.

Like Wednesday night's contest, Norfolk (5-3) struck first as Nolan Reimold hit a one-out, solo homer in the third inning for a 1-0 lead. Later in the frame Steve Clevenger delivered a two-out RBI single to right field to double the lead.

Durham (3-5) cut the lead in half in the fifth. With Luke Maile on first, Hak-Ju Lee doubled down the right field line to put runners on second and third. Ryan Brett then drove in Maile with a chopper through the left side to make it a 2-1 ballgame.

Norfolk widened the gap in the seventh, scoring a pair of runs on an RBI double by Chris Parmelee and a single from Christian Walker to extend the lead to 4-1. In the ninth the Bulls brought the tying run to the plate with nobody out, but a fly out and double play ended the contest.

Steve Johnson (1-0) picked up his first win of the year in relief, tossing a scoreless inning, before three more relievers combined to shut down the Bulls over the remaining 3 2/3 innings, with Chaz Roe notching his second save. Matt Buschmann was the tough-luck loser for Durham, surrendering four runs on eight hits over seven innings. Ronald Belisario and Jordan Norberto each tossed an inning in relief without allowing a run for the home side.

The series concludes Friday when Durham sends RHP Andrew Bellatti (0-0, 4.15) to the hill opposite RHP Zach Davies (1-0, 0.00) for Norfolk. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.