Durham Blanks Norfolk 4-0

Bulls center fielder Josh Lowe collected two hits and first baseman Wyatt Mathisen homered, while four Bulls pitchers combined to yield just one hit in a 4-0 shutout victory over the Norfolk Tides in front of a season-high 7,125 fans on Saturday evening at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

After Bulls starter Adrian De Horta (3.0 IP, 2 BB, 3 K) posted three hitless frames, Drew Rasmussen (2.0 IP, H, 4 K), Brent Honeywell Jr. (2.0 IP, BB, 2 K) and Adam Conley (2.0 IP, BB, 2 K) combined for the final six scoreless innings, with Rasmussen earning the victory. Norfolk starter Tom Eshelman (4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, BB, 3 K) suffered the defeat.

Durham started the scoring with a pair of run-scoring groundouts in the opening frame. Mathisen would then crush a solo home run to the center field berm in the fourth to increase the margin to three, while DH Joseph Odom made it a four-run game with an RBI single to right. Norfolk’s only hit was 2B Willy Yahn’s leadoff triple in the fourth inning.

The two teams are set to complete their series on Sunday evening, with first pitch scheduled for 5:05pm ET. RHP Luis Patino (0-1, 27.00) is slated to toe the rubber for the Bulls, while the Tides are expected to give the nod to RHP Kyle Bradish (1-0, 3.24). Tickets for that game, as well as for Durham’s six-game homestand with Charlotte between June 8-13, are now available at durhambulls.com.