Brujan Swipes 3 Bases, Bulls Fall 6-4

Bulls center fielder Vidal Brujan stole three bases, upping his team-leading season total to seven, however Knights center fielder Brian Goodwin mashed two home runs and designated hitter Tim Beckham drove in two runs in Charlotte’s 6-4 victory over Durham in front of 3,337 fans on Thursday evening at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Goodwin (2-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI) opened the scoring with a solo shot in the second, which was immediately answered by Bulls C Brett Sullivan’s RBI single to even the contest. After Goodwin left the yard for the second time with another solo blast in the fourth, Durham took advantage of a wild pitch and a passed ball to grab a 3-2 lead in the sixth. That margin would be extended to 4-2 in the seventh thanks to a Knights error, however Charlotte plated a three-spot in the eighth to snag the lead for good.

Brujan now leads the Bulls in both home runs (six) and steals through the first 15 games of the season. RF Nathan Lukes (2-3, R, 2B, BB) added a multi-hit effort in the defeat. Knights LF Blake Rutherford (3-5, 2B, R), meanwhile, posted a game-high three knocks.

Charlotte reliever Tayron Guerrero (1.0 IP, H, R, 0 ER, 2 BB,2 K) earned the win in support of starter Felix Paulino (5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 8 K), while Ryan Burr (1.0 IP, BB, 3 K) notched his second save. Bulls reliever Ryan Sherriff (1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, K) suffered the defeat.

The two teams are set to face off again on Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35pm ET. LHP Dietrich Enns (0-0, 4.50) is slated to get the nod for Durham, with Charlotte expected to send RHP Jimmy Lambert (0-0, 12.71). Tickets with socially-distanced seating for that game and all remaining Bulls home games in May are available at durhambulls.com.