Jacksonville sweeps doubleheader against Durham

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In front of 6,760 fans, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp secured a doubleheader sweep against the Durham Bulls, 3-2 and 6-4 Saturday night at 121 Financial Ballpark.

Kameron Misner led off the opening game with a ground-rule double for Durham (45-50, 9-11). Two batters later, Osleivis Basabesingled to put runners at the corners. With runners on first and third, Austin Shenton ripped an RBI single as the Bulls took an early 1-0 lead against Jacksonville (45-49, 10-9).

Trailing 1-0 in the second, Will Banfield (8) cracked a solo home run and tied the game at one.

Locked in a 1-1 tie, Javier Sanoja (4) blasted a go-ahead home run and gave the Jumbo Shrimp a 2-1 lead in the third.

Trailing 2-1, Jake Mangum singled with one out in the sixth. Mangum advanced to second on a ground out and then scored on a two-out RBI single from Misner.

Following a scoreless top of the seventh, Marty Costes worked a two-out walk. Sanoja kept the inning going and reached on an error. With runners at first and second, Victor Mesa Jr. was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Troy Johnston finished off game one with a walk-off walk to hand Jacksonville a Game one victory.

Durham’s offense started off strong in the finale of the doubleheader. Misner and Mangum worked back-to-back walks to start the game. With two runners on, Shenton ripped an RBI double to give the Bulls an early lead. Following a strikeout, Logan Driscollwalked. With bases full of Bulls, Bobby Seymour reached on a fielder’s choice and scored Durham’s second run of the inning. Evan Fitterer escaped the inning one batter later, but Jacksonville was behind early.

Leading 2-0 in the third, Driscoll cracked a two out double. With a runner at second, Seymour smacked an RBI single to bring the Bulls run total to three.

The Jumbo Shrimp battled back in the fourth. Griffin Conine singled to start the inning. Costes reached on a fielder’s choice and Jacksonville put two runners on with nobody out. Two batters later, Bennett Hostetler singled home Conine. With runners at first and second, Jonathan Guzman (1) walloped his first home run of the season to push Jacksonville ahead 4-3.

Durham did not go away quietly. Ronny Simon led ff the fifth with a triple. He scored one batter later on a single from Driscoll which knotted the score at four a piece.

Tied at four in the sixth, Hostetler led the inning off with an infield single. Back-to-back ground balls allowed Hostetler to make it to third. With a runner at third and two outs, Hostetler scored on a wild pitch from Joe Rock (L, 4-4) which gave Jacksonville the lead. Sanoja and Johnston continued the inning with two straight two-out walks. Jhonny Pereda laced an RBI single and brought home a clutch insurance run as Jacksonville extended the lead to 6-4.

Jacksonville and Durham wrap up their series in Sunday’s 5:05 p.m. contest from 121 Financial Ballpark. RHP Valente Bellozo (2-2, 4.56) will start for Jacksonville and RHP Drew Rasmussen (0-0, 0.00) will counter for Durham. Coverage begins at 4:50 p.m. on Bally Live, MLB.tv, MiLB.tv, ESPN 690, and www.ESPN690.com.

Gates open at 4 p.m. for Baptist Health Sunday Family FUNday. Thanks to Baptist Health, the Jumbo Shrimp will host pre-game catch on the field for the first 20 minutes after gates open. Kids can also feel like the pros after each Sunday game by rounding the bases once the field is clear. Experience the enchantment of Wizards and Wands with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at the 121 Financial Ballpark. Every ticket purchased guarantees you a reserved spot to witness the excitement of the game and also bestows upon you a majestic Gryffindor or Slytherin-themed scarf to honor your favorite house.

ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins and compete in the International League. The team calls 121 Financial Ballpark home for baseball but also a wide variety of additional community focused events with a goal of providing Affordable, Family, FUN to Northeast Florida. Winners of many marketing and sales awards and recognition since the team was rebranded prior to the 2017 season, the Jumbo Shrimp continually lead the state of Florida in attendance across all minor league professional sports organizations.