Bulls Fall 7-1 To Stripers In Series Final

Lawrenceville, GA --- A three-run Gwinnett fourth inning broke up a 1-1 tie, leading the Stripers to their third straight win over the Durham Bulls, winning 7-1 on Thursday afternoon at Coolray Field.
The Durham (27-18) loss cemented its first series defeat in a month, dropping three of four to the Stripers (19-26). The Bulls had reeled off nine consecutive series wins since being swept in snowy Toledo in mid-April.
After Xavier Avery hit a third inning homer against starting pitcher Forrest Snow (L, 2-2), Curt Casali tied the game with his fourth home run of the season, connecting on a 1-0 pitch in the fourth from first-time Triple-A starter Michael Mader.
But in the bottom half, Snow's defense betrayed him. After a one-out walk, Snow induced a custom-made double play ball to second base, but Kean Wong mishandled it for an error. Instead of ending the inning, Snow threw nearly 30 more pitches and saw the Stripers score three times. Snow bounced back by fanning Dustin Peterson for the second out, but a second Bulls error in the inning, a throwing miscue by shortstop Andrew Velazquez filled the bases. Sean Kazmar softly doubled down the left field line for a 3-1 lead, then following a walk to load the bases, Jonathan Morales was hit by Snow to force in the third run.
Snow absorbed the defeat, permitting one earned run (four total) over four innings, fanning five while walking two.
Durham managed just four hits in the loss. Jake Bauers was 1-4, Kean Wong went 1-3 and newcomer Michael Russell doubled in four at-bats during his Triple-A debut.
Colin Poche relieved Snow, giving up a run in the fifth. Ian Gibaut worked a perfect sixth, with Jaime Schultz yielding two runs (one earned) over two frames, striking out four.
The Bulls continue their road trip on Friday night at 7:00 PM ET in Louisville with Chih-Wei Hu opposing Anthony DeScalfani, who is making a major league rehab start for the Cincinnati Reds.