Charlotte Edges Durham 5-4

Bulls second baseman Kevin Padlo homered and drove in two runs while infielder Wander Franco recorded his Triple-A East-best 31st run driven in, however Knights first baseman Tim Beckham drove in three runs and starter Mike Wright tossed six and two-thirds quality innings in Charlotte’s 5-4 win over Durham on Friday evening at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

After both teams traded a single tally in the opening frame, including an RBI double from Bulls CF Josh Lowe, the Knights took the lead with a sacrifice fly in the second before Beckham delivered a two-run double to center to make it 4-1. Padlo’s solo shot in the fourth narrowed the deficit to two and Franco’s pinch-hit run-scoring double to left made it a one-run ballgame.

Beckham, however, swatted another RBI double in the eighth for what turned out to be an important insurance run after Padlo lofted a sacrifice fly in the last of the eighth that put the Bulls within a run. Durham would put the tying run in scoring position in the ninth, however were unable to complete the comeback effort.

Lowe (2-4, 2B, RBI), who entered the evening leading the Triple-A East League in in slugging percentage and tied for first in extra-base hits, was the lone Bulls batter to record a multi-hit effort. Franco’s double extended his hit streak to nine games while posting his league-best 31st RBI.

Wright (6.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) earned his third victory with a quality outing, yielding two earned runs on three hits in 6.2 frames, while Hunter Schryver (1.0 IP, BB, K) notched his first save. Bulls starter Drew Strotman (2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 4 K) suffered the defeat.

The Bulls are set to continue their six-game home series versus the Knights on Saturday evening, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35pm. Durham’s starter has not yet been announced, while the Knights are expected to give the nod to RHP Jonathan Stiever (2-1, 4.29). Tickets for that game and all remaining Bulls home games are now available at durhambulls.com.