Durham Bulls Lose 5-4 To Indianapolis Indians

[Via email from the Durham Bulls Director of Media Relations Matt DeMargel.]

After falling behind 4-0, the Bulls rallied back to within one run but ended up falling short, losing 5-4 to Indianapolis Sunday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The Indians’ sluggers got to Bulls starter Wade Davis in the second inning with a solo homerun from Jeff Clement over the wall in left-center.

Indianapolis added three more runs off Davis in the third, one from a solo shot to left from Brian Bixler and the other two off a two-RBI double from Neil Walker.

The Bulls were able to cut away at that lead in the fourth with a bases-loaded double from Rhyne Hughes off the Blue Monster in left, which scored Reid Brignac and Jon Weber and cut the Indians’ lead to 4-2.

The double from Hughes extended his hitting streak to 10 games, which ties the Bulls season-high set by Chris Richard, May 7-16. Hughes has gone 19-34 during that streak and leads the team with a .328 batting average.

Davis got taken deep for a third time in the fifth inning with a solo shot from Brian Myrow which increased Indianapolis’ lead to 5-2.

The Bulls chipped away again in the sixth with a Justin Ruggiano double to left-center scoring Weber from second. Ruggiano went 3-4 with two doubles and a RBI on the night.

The seventh inning was the closest chance Durham would get to tying the game. After a John Jaso walk to lead off the inning, Henry Mateo tripled to center field to drive in Jaso and make the score 5-4. But with Mateo at third with no outs, the Bulls failed to bring him home and Indianapolis got out of the inning with its lead intact.

Davis (9-7) picked up the loss after tossing five and two-thirds innings in which the right-hander gave up five earned runs off seven hits, including three homeruns, with two walks and eight strikeouts.

With the loss, the series between Indianapolis and Durham is now tied at 1-1. Monday, Andy Sonnnanstine takes the mound for the Bulls against the Indians’ Eric Hacker with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.