Bulls lose two games, league title

RICHMOND, Va. -- Forget the Governors Cup. It will stay in Richmond.

Cancel this morning's flight to Oklahoma City. The Durham Bulls won't be going there, either.

Needing one more victory to win the International League championship, the Bulls instead bowed twice Saturday to Richmond, which clinched the best-of-five series three games to two with 6-2 and 7-2 triumphs.

When former N.C. State ace and Braves closer Joey Devine retired Durham's Jason Pridie on a fly to right for the final out, the Bulls stood in stunned silence and watched Richmond's players dogpile in celebration.

"We had a good season, but a tough day," said manager Charlie Montoyo, succinctly summing it up.

The final was an opportunity lost for Durham, which was seeking its third Cup in six years and a chance to play at the nationally televised Bricktown Showdown Tuesday in Oklahoma City against the Pacific Coast League winners.

The Bulls came to The Diamond with a 2-1 series lead but leaden with heavy hearts. Star closer Shawn Camp left the team early Saturday after receiving news that his mother had died.

The team responded by wearing black armbands in both games.

"Our hearts went out to Shawn and his family," said Justin Ruggiano, who refused to make an excuse. "We [just] didn't hit, and they played better than us."

Exactly where the Bulls' momentum began to erode is unclear. Maybe it was Friday night's rainout. Or maybe it was in the seventh inning of Game 4, when Richmond scored three to break a 1-1 tie.

Once into a swinging rhythm, the Braves carried it over into the fifth, tell-tale title game with decisive clout.

They attacked Bulls starter Mitch Talbot in the first inning with a three-run homer by Doug Clark and a solo shot by Carlos Mendez for a quick 4-0 lead.

That was cushion enough for Braves starter Kevin Barry, who worked five innings and gave up one run, a homer to Ruggiano.

Overall, Richmond simply rocked like champions. They had solid pitching in both games, belted a total of 20 hits, played error-free ball and benefited from several big-league plays by shortstop Brent Lillibridge.

Montoyo, who guided the Bulls from a poor start to a shot at the Cup, tried to sort through it.

"I don't want to take anything away from them, but losing Camp changed everything in the bullpen," said Montoyo. "We knew we had to save pitchers for a [possible] fifth game. He had been our most valuable player the last two weeks.

"It rained [Friday]. Then we had to play a doubleheader on the road. It just didn't seem [things were right]."

And they weren't. Other than Ruggiano's two homers -- one in each game -- there wasn't a lot to get excited about. In the first game, Jae Kuk Ryu pitched two-hit ball for 5 1/3 innings and gave up an earned run, but Richmond got five runs off Durham's relievers, including a homer by Brandon Jones.

While Saturday was a lost day in several ways for the Bulls, the season wasn't.

After a 7-14 start, they rebounded to win the division title, passing Richmond down the stretch as Montoyo masterfully juggled 95 roster changes.

"I'm proud of my team and we got to the fifth game [here]," said Montoyo, who expects to start next season with several of the same Bulls.