Bulls Jump Out Early, Down Knights, 7-4

Charlotte, NC --- Durham scored four runs in the first inning en route to a 7-4 road win over Charlotte on Saturday night.

Nick Franklin's two-out RBI bunt kickstarted the opening inning, which was followed by three more hits as the Bulls (16-21) grabbed early command over Chirs Volstad (L, 2-3) and the first-place Knights (19-18).

Dayron Varona drilled a two-run homer in the sixth to boost the lead to 7-1 as the Bulls drew even in the three-game series.

Justin Marks (W, 1-3) notched his first win in four appearances, fanning a season-high seven. Ryan Garton, Adam Kolarek and Neil Wagner combined to throw the final four frames. Wagner's appearance was his first back at AAA since June, 2014 following nearly two years recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The Bulls had 13 hits in the win, including three by Franklin and two apiece from Mikie Mahtook, Luke Maile, Daniel Robertson and Patrick Leonard.

Blake Snell (1-3, 3.60) starts the series finale on Sunday at 2:05 PM ET against Erik Johnson (2-1, 3.77).