Bulls Fall to RailRiders in 13-Inning Tilt
DURHAM, NC - The Durham Bulls fell to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 10-8 in 13 innings Monday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in a game that featured 12 pitchers, 33 strikeouts and 30 base hits.
Tied at 8-8 in the top of the 13th inning, Zelous Wheeler led off with solo homer for the RailRiders (11-12), giving them a one-run advantage. Later in the frame, former Bull Russ Canzler singled up the middle, scoring Dean Anna and giving the visitors a two-run cushion. In the bottom of the inning, Bulls' catcher Ali Solis managed a single to bring the tying run to the plate with only one away, but Jim Miller set down the next two hitters to preserve the win for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
It was a stretch for the Bulls (17-9) to even make it to extra innings, as the team needed a two-run homer off the bat of Wilson Betemit with two outs in the ninth inning to tie the game at 8-8. Durham had been in comeback mode most of the night, trailing 5-2 after the fourth inning, and then trailing 8-6 after eight frames.
Miller picked up the win for the RailRiders, tossing two scoreless innings while allowing just one hit. Steve Geltz (2-1) suffered the loss, allowing two runs to score in 1 2/3 innings of work. The Bulls staff set a season-high with its 18 punch outs, while the 15 strikeouts by Bulls batters were also a season-high.
Justin Christian led the way for Durham in the four-hour and 44-minute contest, going 3-for-7 with three runs scored, while Betemit drove in three and Cole Figueroa and Mikie Mahtook each finished the night with two hits in the Bulls 15-hit outburst.
The two sides conclude their four-game series Tuesday as the Bulls send RHP Matt Andriese (1-2, 3.81) to the hill opposite Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RHP Shane Greene (0-0, 6.75). First pitch is scheduled for 11:05 a.m.