Bats take rubber match from Bulls in extras

DURHAM, NC - Chad Wallach's go-ahead home run in the 11th inning propelled the Louisville Bats (46-69) to a 7-4 victory over the Durham Bulls (71-45) in the rubber game on Wednesday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
After the Bats stranded Darnell Sweeney at third in the first inning, the Bulls capitalized on their scoring opportunity in the bottom half of the frame on a Johnny Field two-out RBI single, giving Durham an early 1-0 lead.
The Bulls relinquished that lead in the second inning as Tyler Goeddel's RBI single and a Durham miscue put the Bats on top, 2-1. That same inning, Shane Peterson tied the game at two-apiece with a solo home run, his second in as many days.
Durham regained the lead in the fifth inning after sending eight hitters to the plate and scoring on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly, making it 4-2 while forcing Rookie Davis (1-2, 5.83) out of the ballgame.  
Davis allowed four runs on nine hits and no walks in four and two-thirds innings. The right-hander also struck out 10, matching a career high set on May 30 of 2015.
Goeddel cut Louisville's deficit down to one run with his second RBI single of the night in the seventh inning.
Durham right-hander Yonny Chirinos (11-3, 2.80) went seven innings while giving up three runs (one earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out four.
The game remained scoreless until the ninth inning when an RBI fielder's choice by Eric Jagielo evened the score at 4-4 and ultimately sent the game to extra innings.
In the 11th, Wallach blasted a two-out solo home run to give the Bats the lead. Two batters later, Zach Vincej provided some insurance runs for Jimmy Herget with a two-run triple off the wall in left, making it 7-4 in favor of Louisville. That proved to be the final score, as Herget tossed a scoreless inning while picking up his seventh save of the season.
The Bats will continue their seven-game road trip with a four-game set against the Gwinnett Braves beginning tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. Southpaws Cody Reed (4-7, 3.59) and Andrew Albers (11-3, 2.72) will oppose each other on the mound.