Bulls Beat Charlotte in Extra Inning Thriller

DURHAM, NC – The Durham Bulls (9-5) defeated the Charlotte Knights 5-4 in an extra-inning thriller. With the win, Durham moves to 2-0 in the series, and it gives them their ninth of the year.

Adrian De Horta got the start for the Bulls and tossed four innings giving up five hits, three runs, one walk, and struck on eight Knights. He threw four shutout innings to begin his night but ran into trouble allowing all three runs in the fifth. 

Mike Wright, who was the Knights focal point, got the start for Charlotte, lasting six innings, giving up just three hits, one run, two walks, and struck out nine.

The Bulls started the scoring in the bottom of the first with a lead-off homer by Vidal Brujan, which was the only run allowed by Wright. The homer was Brujan’s sixth of the year.

After the homer, the game remained 1-0 until the fifth. The Knights finally answered back with a homer by Nate Nolan in the top half. Nolan’s dinger also knocked in Brian Goodwin and Tim Beckham.

In the bottom of the eighth, just one full inning after Wright’s exit, the Bulls scored two runs, tying the game. The inning started with Brujan’s single out to centerfield that brought in Wyatt Mathisen. Taylor Walls eventually tied the ballgame at 3-3 with an RBI single.   

The score would remain the same throughout the ninth extending it to extra innings. In the top of the tenth, the Knights, hoping to win the game,  took a 4-3 lead. Blake Rutherford singled off a ground ball up the middle, giving Marco Hernandez enough room to sneak in and score.

The lead brought the Bulls to their final three outs of the game. After a walk from Brett Sullivan, it gave the Bulls two runners on with no outs. Brujan eventually smacked an RBI single to tie it up at four-all. Josh Lowe would put the contest away by hitting a sacrifice fly to right field to secure the victory.

The Durham Bulls still have a lot of baseball to play against the Charlotte Knights but have put themselves in the best position to win the series. The Knights have to fight off a possible sweep and have the chance to do so Thursday, May 20th.