Bulls Blank Space Cowboys With 6-0 Win
Joe Boyle and three Durham relievers combined on a six-hit shutout as the Bulls defeated the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 6-0 on Sunday afternoon at the DBAP. Boyle tossed four scoreless innings, stranding seven baserunners, then turned the game over to Garrett Acton (W, 1-0), Jonathan Hernandez and Cole Sulser
Joe Boyle and three Durham relievers combined on a six-hit shutout as the Bulls defeated the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 6-0 on Sunday afternoon at the DBAP.
Boyle tossed four scoreless innings, stranding seven baserunners, then turned the game over to Garrett Acton (W, 1-0), Jonathan Hernandez and Cole Sulser to close out the series win, which gave the Bulls (6-3) a 4-2 series victory over Sugar Land (3-6).
The Bulls scored twice in the first against Space Cowboys starter AJ Blubaugh (L, 1-1) when Bob Seymour doubled home Chandler Simpson. Later in the frame, Tristan Peters walked with the bases loaded to force Seymour home. Dru Baker connected for a two-run homer in the eighth to provide the six-run margin.
Simpson reached base three times, twice on hits and scored three of Durham's six runs.
Key Moments: Leading 3-0 in the third, shortstop Carson Williams made a stretching stop of a hard grounder with the bases loaded to get a force out to end a Space Cowboys threat.
Blubaugh's Blues: Space Cowboys starter AJ Blubaugh, who needed just 69 pitches in tossing six efficient shutout innings against the Bulls on Tuesday night, found life more challenging against the Bulls on Sunday. Blubaugh needed 39 pitches to get through the first, allowing two runs. In the second, he required 23 more and allowed another run. Blubaugh was chased after three full frames.
Seymour's Successes: Bob Seymour went 3-4 Sunday, driving in three runs. Seymour drove in 10 runs across five starts in the series against Sugar Land, including hitting a pair of homers.
Hernandez Departs: Reliever Jonathan Hernandez left the game in the eighth after making three pitches against Shay Whitcomb. Hernandez pitched the seventh, then retired Tommy Sacco on a grounder before Whitcomb's at-bat. After making his third pitch against Whitcomb, Hernandez walked behind the mound, called for the athletic training staff and his manager, and departed the field without attempting another toss.
Sugar Land Woes: Sugar Land hit just .144 in the entire series against Durham. Earlier in the series, the Space Cowboys were no-hit across 11 innings. To close the series, Sugar Land did not score over the final 19 frames. The Space Cowboys also struck out 77 of 187 at-bats in the series.
On Deck: The Bulls open a six-game road series in Buffalo on Tuesday night at 6:05 PM ET at Sahlen Field.