Long balls lift Bulls past RailRiders
The Durham Bulls hit three home runs and erased an early three-run deficit as they beat the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 5-3 Monday evening at the DBAP in the opener of a three-game set.
Trailing 3-2 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, Durham’s Nick Franklin led off the frame with a solo homer to tie the contest. After a walk and a strikeout, Dayron Varona hit an opposite-field, two-run dinger to put the Bulls ahead 5-3. In the ninth Dylan Floro set down the RailRiders in order, notching his third save of the campaign.
Durham (21-31) found itself trailing after four innings, as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (29-22) scored three runs in the fourth inning. Chris Parmelee hit a two-run homer to open the game’s scoring, before an Eddy Rodriguez bloop single later in the frame scored Pete Kozma for a 3-0 advantage.
After being held scoreless through the first five innings, Jake Goebbert launched a solo home run to right-center to begin the Durham comeback.
Parker Markel, Neil Wagner, Danny Farquhar and Floro combined for 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, after Bulls starter Justin Marks exited after 3 2/3 frames and allowing three runs. Farquhar (2-1) earned the win with 2/3 shutout innings, while Johnny Barbato (0-1) took the loss for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre by surrendering a pair of runs in the eighth.
Franklin, Varona and Kyle Roller all finished 2-for-4 in the Bulls’ eight-hit attack. Durham’s five-run output marked the first time in the team’s last nine home games it scored five runs.
The Bulls and RailRiders square off at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday at the DBAP, when Durham sends LHP Blake Snell (2-4, 3.88) to the mound opposite LHP Phil Coke (3-0, 0.75).
Monday’s box score
RailRiders | ab | r | h | bi |
Gamel, CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Judge, RF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Solano, 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Swisher, DH | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Puello, LF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Parmelee, 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Kozma, 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Rodriguez, C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Diaz, SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Totals | 35 | 3 | 8 | 3 |
Bulls | ab | r | h | bi |
Decker, CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Robertson, SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Franklin, 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Shaffer, DH | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Roller, 1B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Varona, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Maile, C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goebbert, LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Querecuto, 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 29 | 5 | 8 | 5 |
Scr/W-B | 000 | 300 | 000 | — | 3 | 8 | 0 |
Durham | 000 | 001 | 13x | — | 5 | 8 | 0 |
DP–Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 1. LOB–Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 10; Durham 6. 2B–Swisher; Kozma; Franklin. 3B–Roller. HR—Parmelee (7); Goebbert (2); Franklin (5); Varona (6). SF–Decker. SB–Kozma; Puello; Varona. CS—Varona (2).
RailRiders IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
Lail | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Moreno | 1/3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Cotts | 2/3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Barbato (L, 0-1) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Totals | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
Bulls IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
Marks | 3 2/3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Markel | 2 1/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Wagner | 1 1/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Farquhar (W, 2-1) | 2/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Floro (S, 3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Totals | 9 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
This story was originally published May 30, 2016 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Long balls lift Bulls past RailRiders."