Pawtucket, RI --- Brendan McKay keyed a four-run 10th inning as the Durham Bulls beat the Pawtucket Red Sox 11-7 on Thursday night at McCoy Stadium, sweeping the three-game series.The Bulls (45-27), who won for the 11th time in 12 games, lost a 7-5 lead with two outs in the
Pawtucket, RI --- Brendan McKay keyed a four-run 10th inning as the Durham Bulls beat the Pawtucket Red Sox 11-7 on Thursday night at McCoy Stadium, sweeping the three-game series.
The Bulls (45-27), who won for the 11th time in 12 games, lost a 7-5 lead with two outs in the last of the ninth on a game tying double from Josh Ockimey. Ian Gibaut (W, 1-0) fanned Chris Owings to force the 10th.
The 10th inning opened with Mike Brosseau placed at second base. Nick Solak walked ahead of a run-scoring double by Michael Perez to put the Bulls up 8-7. One out later, McKay drove a three-run homer to centerfield against Jennry Mejia (L, 2-6) to boost Durham's lead to 11-7.
In the bottom half, Aaron Slegers entered to close the game out. Juan Centeno walked to begin the PawSox (30-41) 10th inning, putting two on with none out. After a bounce out to first, Nate Lowe gloved Gorkys Hernández's line drive, and threw to second base to double up Centeno to end the game.
The game was played with varying degrees of moderate to dense fog, but was not delayed. Several flyballs were initially lost in the fog, with one that was unseen in deep centerfield for a double.
The PawSox took an early 2-0 lead against Bulls starter Ryan Merritt, who worked 3 2/3 innings, permitting three runs (one earned). Luis Santos worked the next three, allowing two runs.
Durham matched a season-high with five home runs. Solak drilled a centerfield shot against former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Erasmo Ramírez, pulling Durham to within 2-1 in the third. A wild pitch in the sixth by Ramirez scored Nate Lowe from third base with two outs to close the deficit to 3-2.
In the seventh, Durham knocked out three home runs, including a lead-changing, two-run shot by Jake Smolinski. Three batters later, Lowe socked a two-run shot to left-centerfield. After a pitching change, Brosseau greeted Dan Runzler with an opposite field home run inside the right field foul pole as the Bulls went ahead 7-3.
The PawSox scored twice in the seventh against Santos, and tied the game on Ockimey's double to deep center against Gibaut.
In the bottom of the fifth, trailing 3-1, Solak raced back against the left field wall to steal a potential home run from Rusney Castillo, reaching to the top of the shorter wall to snatch the liner. Solak threw back to the infield, with Kean Wong's relay doubling up Owings at first base.
The Bulls' road trip continues on Friday night against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders at 7:05 PM ET. Jake Faria is slotted to open for the Bulls against Scranton's Raynel Espinal.
