(UPTOWN CHARLOTTE, NC) - After an early home run, the Charlotte Knights couldn't produce much offense in a 4-3 loss to the Durham Bulls on Saturday night at BB&T Ballpark.
(UPTOWN CHARLOTTE, NC) - After an early home run, the Charlotte Knights couldn't produce much offense in a 4-3 loss to the Durham Bulls on Saturday night at BB&T Ballpark.
Charlotte starter Ross Detwiler (L, 1-1) got off to a rocky start as the Bulls scored two runs in the first to take the early lead.
The Knights responded in the bottom half on Matt Skole's two-run home run 415 feet to left-center. The home run was Skole's 14th of the season, matching his total from the 2018 season, when he led the Knights with 14 home runs.
Durham retook the lead in the second on a home run from Nick Ciuffo. That would prove to be the rest of the offense for a while.
Detwiler rebounded to pitch 5.0 innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts, but he suffered his first loss of the season.
In relief, Matt Foster kept the game close with 2.0 scoreless innings. A solo home run from Nick Solak doubled the Durham lead to 4-2 in the eighth off Carson Fulmer, and that would prove to be enough.
In the bottom of the ninth, Adam Engel's RBI triple cut the Bulls' lead to 4-3, but he was stranded on third as the tying run as the Durham bullpen finished the win.
For the Knights, Engel was the only player to record two hits while Skole was 1-for-4 with the two-run homer.
Charlotte and Durham continue their four-game series on Sunday night at BB&T Ballpark. Odrisamer Despaigne (3-2, 3.74) is set to makes his first start for the Knights. Pre-game radio coverage of the 7:04 p.m. game is set for 6:50 p.m. on 730 The Game ESPN Charlotte. The "Voice of the Charlotte Knights" Matt Swierad and long-time Knights radio broadcaster Mike Pacheco will have the call for all of the action. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on 102.3 FM Latina with broadcasters Rafael Bastidas and Ernesto Hurtado.
