Bulls Fall Out Of First

The Durham Bulls stay atop the International League South Division did not last long.

After going 2-3 during their last homestand, the Bulls hit the road for a 3-game series against the Pawtucket Red Sox.

The Red Sox, the Triple A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, were not very hospitable to the Bulls, sweeping the 3 game series. Taylor Motter and J.P. Arencibia each had a home run for the Bulls in the series.

The sweep by the Red Sox not only knocked the Bulls out of first place, it also dropped their road record to 22-39 for the 2016 season.

The Bulls returned back to the DBAP to take on IL South division foe Charlotte Knights. The Bulls bats came to life in the first game of the 3-game series, as five different players had multi-hit games with the Bulls winning 10-2 behind 13 hits including 3 home runs. The Bulls exploded for a five run fourth inning as Curt Caseli blasted a three run homer, his second as a Bull. Johnny Field and Richie Shaffer followed a few innings later with home runs of their own, as Shaffer’s ninth home run of the season put the ball game out of reach.

The good fortune against the Knights would not continue in games 2 and 3. A day after erupting for 13 hits, the Bulls bats fell silent mustering only 3 hits. Taylor Motter contributed the lone Bulls run with a solo home run in the first inning. The rubber match saw the Bulls and Knights go into extra innings.

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 7^th, Jake Goebbert blasted a solo home run to tie the game at 3. The Knights regained the lead in the top of the 13^th and took the series from the Bulls by a score of 4-3.

The head back out onto the road to play the Columbus Clippers before returning home to play the Norfolk Tides. 11 home games remain in the Durham Bulls 2016 season.