Mortensen, Motter Lead Bulls to Win in Finale

Durham shuts out Norfolk 6-0 to close 2015

September 7, 2015

DURHAM, NC - On the season's final day, the Durham Bulls earned a 6-0 win over the Norfolk Tides Monday afternoon at the DBAP, closing the season by winning 15 of their final 19 contests.

Right-hander Jared Mortensen (2-0), in just his second Triple-A start, went 7 2/3 frames, scattering seven hits and walking two while striking out seven. The 27-year-old avoided trouble early on, working out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the third inning and a two-on, two-out scenario in the fourth. After his exit, Jose Dominguez recorded the final four outs to preserve the team's 13^th shutout of the season.

The Bulls (74-70) scored in the very first inning when Taylor Motter launched a solo homer over the Blue Monster. In the fourth Motter struck again, this time launching a solo dinger over the Snorting Bull to lead off the frame and put the home side in front 2-0.

In the sixth Durham opened the game up, as Nick Franklin's single scored Motter for a three-run advantage. With the bases loaded Jose Constanza was hit by a pitch to plate Corey Brown, and Wilmer Dominguez followed with a two-run single for a 6-0 lead.

Motter finished the afternoon 2-for-3, tying career-highs with two home runs and three runs scored. Motter's two-hit game gave him an 11-game hitting streak to finish the season, while Brown's 1-for-4 performance gave him a 14-game streak to close 2015.

Righty Elih Villanueva (4-5) took the loss for the visiting Tides (78-66), allowing two runs on three hits over five innings.

With Durham's strong finish to end the season, the 2015 Bulls became the 15^th team in the franchise's 18-year Triple-A history to finish with a winning record. With the team's win today and the Charlotte Knights' loss at Gwinnett, the Bulls finished tied for third in the IL South Division, which became the first division in International League history in which every team finished with a winning record.

Monday's game, played in front of a paid attendance of 8,533, brought the Bulls' 2015 paid attendance to a franchise record 554,788, shattering the old mark of 533,033 set in 2014.