DURHAM, NC - The Durham Bulls (2-2) tallied three runs in the eighth inning to open their three-game series against the Gwinnett Stripers (1-2) with a 4-2 comeback win at Durham Bulls Athletic Park Monday night. Durham Bulls starting pitcher Vidal Nuño III made one mistake and Carlos Franco powered a
DURHAM, NC - The Durham Bulls (2-2) tallied three runs in the eighth inning to open their three-game series against the Gwinnett Stripers (1-2) with a 4-2 comeback win at Durham Bulls Athletic Park Monday night.
Durham Bulls starting pitcher Vidal Nuño III made one mistake and Carlos Franco powered a homer opposite way toward the Snorting Bull in left field -- his first home run of the season. Stripers starter Lucas Sims held the Bulls to three hits and struck out seven batters, walking two over four innings.
The Bulls threatened in the third inning as Adam Moore walked to begin the inning and with two outs Willy Adames reached on an infield single, but Lucas Sims induced a ground out from Christian Arroyo to end the frame unscathed.
Reliever Andres Santiago tossed a scoreless fifth and sixth inning, with two strikeouts and one walk. Gwinnett added to its lead in the top of the sixth as two-out walks to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Johan Camargo (ML Rehab) led to Franco driving in his second run of the evening with a single to centerfield, giving the Stripers a 2-0 lead through six.
In the seventh, off Stripers reliever Evan Phillips, Brandon Snyder hit his first double of the season for Durham, advanced to third base on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Wong cutting the deficit to one run, 2-1 through seven complete.
The comeback began in the eighth inning when consecutive walks by Phillips to Adames and Arroyo and an infield single from Jason Coats loaded the bases. Justin Williams then promptly laced an RBI single to left tying the game. A wild pitch from Phil Pfeifer allowed Arroyo to score and the Bulls grabbed their first lead of the game, 3-2. Another wild pitch from Pfeifer scored Coats giving the Bulls a two-run lead.
In the ninth, Hunter Wood retired the side in order, earning his first save of the season.
Tuesday afternoon, the Durham Bulls host the Gwinnett Stripers with Chih-Wei Hu scheduled to start for the Bulls against Kolby Allard of Gwinnett.
