Burris Single In 10th Drops Bulls, 6-5
Syracuse, NY --- Emmanuel Burriss looped a single in the bottom of the 10th inning to send Syracuse past Durham 6-5 at NBT Bank Stadium on Wednesday night.
After a pair of walks sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt, Burriss wedged a Doug Mathis (L, 2-1) pitch behind third base and just inside the left field line to score Brian Goodwin with the winning run, dropping the Bulls (20-14) to their third straight defeat in the series.
The game saw both teams open up two-run leads. Syracuse (17-15) went up 2-0 in the third against Enny Romero on a sac fly by Brock Peterson, bringing in Will Rhymes, who had tripled. Romero allowed a solo homer to Destin Hood in the second.
Durham clawed back with runs in the fourth and fifth to tie the game 2-2. Ali Solis was hit with the bases loaded to put the Bulls on the board, then Vince Belnome hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth to bring in Mikie Mahtook to make it a 2-2 game.
Robby Price hit his first Triple-A home run in the sixth with Mike Fontenot aboard to give Durham a 4-2 lead.
In the last of the sixth, Romero left the game with two outs after walking the bases loaded. Jim Patterson gave up a three-run double to Burriss to swap the lead to the Chiefs 5-4.
But the Bulls tied the game at 5 in the seventh on a single by Mahtook to bring home Kevin Kiermaier from third.
In the 10th, Hak-Ju Lee walked, was bunted to second, then stole third base with one out, but was stranded when Mahtook and Belnome fanned. The Chiefs squandered a chance to win it in the last of the ninth, leaving two aboard against Jake Thompson in his Triple-A debut.
Burriss drove in four runs for the Chiefs. Mahtook went 2-5 to pace the Bulls' eight-hit attack.
The series concludes Thursday afternoon at noon with Mike Montgomery (3-0, 3.19) starting against Aaron Laffey (3-0, 2.05).