Norfolk uses triple play to help knock off Bulls
Elih Villanueva allowed three hits over seven-plus innings and the Norfolk Tides slipped past the Durham Bulls 3-1 on Tuesday night at Harbor Park.
Villanueva (3-1) retired 16 straight from the second into the seventh inning as the first-place Tides (67-49) beat the Bulls (56-61) for the second straight night to push the reigning International League South Division champs 111/2 games out with 27 to play.
Durham collected two singles to start off the eighth to knock Villanueva out of the game, but Luke Maile smacked a grounder to third baseman Michael Almanzar, who tapped the bag for an out and made a perfect throw to second for the second out. Rey Navarro’s throw to first got Maile for a triple play.
Drew Smyly (0-2), the Tampa Bay Rays’ left-hander making a rehab start, labored through four innings on 94 pitches. Smyly allowed two runs in the first and an unearned run in the second before using 35 pitches to grind through a scoreless third inning. Smyly struck out five and walked two.
Scott Diamond replaced Smyly and pitched the final four innings, allowing three hits and no runs.
The lone Bulls hit during the first seven innings came in the first from Nick Franklin, who lined a 3-1 fastball from Villanueva for a single.
Nick Franklin hit a solo homer in the ninth for Durham’s run.
The series will shift to Durham for a 7:05 p.m. game Wednesday. Matt Moore is scheduled to start for the Bulls.
Tuesday’s box score
Durham | ab | r | h | bi |
Powell, CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Franklin, 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Motter, 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mahtook, LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Arencibia, 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Brown, RF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Brett, DH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Lee, SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Maile, C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 31 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
Norfolk | ab | r | h | bi |
Urrutia, LF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Navarro, 2B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Parmelee, DH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Walker, 1B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Alvarez, CF-RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Halton, RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Borbon, CF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Perez, C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Almanzar, 3B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Janish, SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 28 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
Durham | 000 | 000 | 001 | — | 1 | 5 | 1 |
Norfolk | 210 | 000 | 00X | — | 3 | 7 | 1 |
E — Lee, Almanzar. DP– Durham 1. TP-Norfolk 1. LOB–Durham 4, Norfolk 6. 2B–Perez. HR—Franklin (7). SF–Walker, Urrutia. SB–Alvarez. CS—Halton.
DurhamIP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
Smyly (L, 0-2) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Diamond | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
NorfolkIP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
Villanueva (W, 3-1) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Rodriguez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Beato (S, 12) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
This story was originally published August 11, 2015 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Norfolk uses triple play to help knock off Bulls."