Bulls of House Durham Take Series With Knights

DURHAM, NC - On Game of Thrones Night, the Bulls of House Durham struck down their in-state rivals the Charlotte Knights in a 5-2 victory at the DBAP Thursday night.  

The Durham pitching staff posted eight scoreless innings before allowing a pair of runs in the ninth, one of which was unearned. LHP Scott Diamond (1-0) earned the win with five scoreless innings, while RHP Andrew Bellatti struck out five over three innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit.

The Bulls (7-8) struck in the third inning, as Vince Belnome reached on an error with one out and advanced to second when Joey Butler walked. After a strikeout, Curt Casali singled when he hit a pop up straight up in the middle of the infield that no fielders could track, as the ball landed safely on the pitcher's mound for an RBI and a 1-0 Durham lead.

The home side extended its lead in the sixth, as the first five batters of the frame reached base safely. Leonardo Reginatto recorded an RBI single to make it a two-run game, and Hak-Ju Lee followed with an RBI single of his own. The next batter, Eugenio Velez, singled on a grounder up the middle, scoring Reginatto and putting the Bulls in front 4-0. In the eighth Alexi Casilla made it a five-run game, when he launched a solo home run into the right field stands for a 5-0 lead.

Offensively for the Bulls Casali led the way with a 3-for-4 night, while Reginatto and Lee each had a pair of hits out of the eighth and ninth spots in the batting order, respectively.

Right-hander Erik Johnson (2-1) took the loss, allowing one unearned run on three hits over four innings. The win marked Durham's first series win of 2015, after earning a win in games one and two of the four-game set.

The Bulls open a three-game set with the Gwinnett Braves Friday night at the DBAP, when RHP Dylan Floro (2-1, 2.84) gets the start for Durham opposite RHP Chien-Ming Wang (0-1, 5.84) for the G-Braves. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.