Durham Drops Jacksonville 6-5

Gray launches 28th homer & drives in 3, Bulls grab sole possession of 1st place

SS Tristan Gray crushed his 28th homer and drove in three runs in Durham's 6-5 win over Jacksonville on Saturday night. (Paxton Rembis (Durham Bulls))

August 13, 2022

Bulls shortstop Tristan Gray crushed his league-leading twenty-eighth home run of the season, while first baseman Jonathan Aranda clubbed three hits and drove in two runs as Durham moved into sole possession of first place in the International League East Division standings with a 6-5 win over the Jacksonville Jumbo

Bulls shortstop Tristan Gray crushed his league-leading twenty-eighth home run of the season, while first baseman Jonathan Aranda clubbed three hits and drove in two runs as Durham moved into sole possession of first place in the International League East Division standings with a 6-5 win over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in front of a paid attendance of 9,193 fans on Saturday evening at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

After Jacksonville plated a two-spot in the opening frame, the Bulls struck back with a three-run bottom half. Aranda laced a single to right, prior to Josh Lowe’s game-tying RBI infield single. Gray would then drive in his first of three runs to cap the trio of tallies with an RBI single to put Durham ahead 3-2.

One inning later, Aranda would strike again with another RBI single to make it a 4-2 Bulls advantage, though the Jumbo Shrimp answered with a three-run spurt of their own in the third. Durham countered right back in the bottom of third, however, as Gray smashed a two-run blast to right for a 6-5 lead the Bulls would not relinquish.

Aranda (3-4, R, 2 RBI) posted a game-high three hits, with Gray (2-3, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB) and CF Grant Witherspoon (2-3, BB) adding multi-hit efforts of their own. Gray’s 28 home runs are the most by a Bulls player in a season since Dan Johnson hit 30 big flies in 2010. He is now tied with Scott McClain for sixth-most longballs in a single year among Durham players in the franchise’s Triple-A history, which dates back to 1998.

Bulls righty Cooper Criswell (3.0 IP, H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 3 SO) earned his first win with the Bulls, as fellow relievers Angel Perdomo (2.0 IP, 3 SO), JT Chargois (1.0 IP, SO), Calvin Faucher (1.0 IP, 2 BB, SO) and Javy Guerra (1.0 IP, 2 SO) combined for the final five hitless frames. Guerra notched his team-leading eighth save of the year, while Jacksonville reliever Cole Sulser (1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 SO) suffered the defeat.

The two teams are set to conclude their six-game set on Sunday evening, with first pitch scheduled for 5:05pm. RHP Kevin Herget (8-1, 2.35) is anticipated to get the nod for Durham, and be opposed by Jumbo Shrimp RHP Bryan Hoeing (7-5, 5.38).

Tickets for that game and all remaining 2022 home dates can be purchased at DurhamBulls.com/tickets.