Yarbrough, Solak Lead Bulls to Victory

DURHAM, NC - The Durham Bulls rode big games from Nick Solak and Ryan Yarbrough to a 9-5 victory over the Rochester Red Wings Friday night at the DBAP. Yarbrough (2-0) recorded the victory for the Bulls, while Devin Smeltzer (0-1) suffered the loss for the Red Wings.
The Bulls got the scoring started in the second inning, thanks to an RBI-single from Solak to make it 1-0. Nick Ciuffo added to the lead with his first triple of the season to drive in Solak and take a 2-0 lead. The lead was short-lived for the Bulls, who allowed a two-run home run to Jake Cave, tying the game up at 2-2 in the top of the fourth.
However, Durham was able to shake off the Red Wings, beginning in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run home run by Solak to take a 4-2 lead. The Bulls added on in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases and scoring on a wild pitch by Trevor Hildenberger to increase the lead to 5-2. Kean Wong helped put away the Red Wings with a two-run double, and Nate Lowe added another on an RBI-single to take an 8-2 lead.
Yarbrough delivered the Bulls fourth quality start of the year, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs, while striking out a season-high 10 batters. The Bulls got enough out of their bullpen to secure the victory, despite allowing a three-run home run to Drew Maggi to cut the deficit to 8-5 in the seventh. A Jason Coats solo home run in the bottom of the seventh added an extra cushion by extending the lead to 9-5.
The Bulls play game two of a three-game series against the Red Wings at 6:35 Saturday night at the DBAP. Left-hander Ryan Merritt will take the hill for the Bulls and do battle against Red Wings left-hander Lewis Thorpe.