Youkilis, PawSox Slide Past Durham 5-4

DURHAM, NC - The Pawtucket Red Sox narrowly defeated the Durham Bulls in a 5-4 final on Thursday night at the DBAP. Hideki Matsui went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI but it wasn't enough to edge out the PawSox, led by the rehabbing Kevin Youkilis who was 1-2 with a run scored.

The Bulls got on the board early scoring two runs in the first off PawSox starter Doug Mathis. Matsui recorded his first hit as a member of the Durham Bulls, a double off of the Blue Monster that scored Matt Mangini and Leslie Anderson.

Pawtucket answered in the next frame, cutting the Bulls lead in half. Durham tagged on another run in the third inning when Reid Brignac hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Mangini who tagged from third.

Bulls starter Lance Pendleton was pulled in the fourth inning after giving up a single to Jose Iglesias. Romulo Sanchez was called in from the bullpen and allowed a hit to Youkilis followed with a home run to Lars Anderson putting the PawSox out in front 4-3.

Leslie Anderson knotted the game at four a-piece in the sixth by plating Jesus Feliciano. Matsui came to bat, again with two runners aboard, and was robbed of a run scoring hit by Pawtucket's infield shift. Instead of driving in another run with a hardly hit ball up the middle, the Bulls DH grounded into a double play to end the inning.

With two outs in the seventh, Ryan Reid entered the game for Durham and walked the first batter he faced. He then allowed a single to Che-Hsuan Lin which scored Josh Kroeger in what would be the go ahead run for Pawtucket.

Durham and Pawtucket play again Thursday evening. Daisuke Matsuzaka takes the hill in a MLB rehab start against Bulls RHP Jim Paduch. Game time is set for 7:05PM.