FROM STAFF REPORTS
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Durham Bulls, held without a hit for the first four innings, came through win a run in the seventh and a pair in the ninth to win 3-0 at Coca-Cola Park here Saturday night.
Tampa Bay Rays’ star third baseman Evan Longoria, beginning a rehabilitation stint with the Bulls, was hitless in his first three trips Saturday, but singled in his final two at-bats.
The IronPigs looked liked they’d break up the shutout and grab the first lead in the sixth as Tug Hulett and Andres Blanco reached on back-to-back, one-out singles, but Durham starter and winner Matt Torra (6-6, 4.33 ERA) picked Hulett off second for the second out and catcher Stephen Vogt nailed Blanco trying to steal second for the third out. Shortstop Reid Brignac made the tag on both plays.
The Bulls scored their first run in the seventh as Leslie Anderson and Vogt led off with singles off IronPigs’ starter and loser Matt Wright (0-1, 2.13), Anderson moving to third on Vogt’s base hit. Brandon Allen drove in Vogt with a sacrifice fly off Wright.
Lehigh Valley had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the inning after Jason Pridie doubled with two outs, but reliever Dane De La Rosa replaced Torra and got Michael Spidale to line out to Allen in right to douse the rally.
Durham got a pair of runners on in the top of the eighth on a one-out single by Rich Thompson and a two-out base hit by Longoria, but Anderson lined out to Hulett at third for the last out.
De La Rosa walked Cody Overbeck and Steve Susdorf leading off the IronPigs’ eighth, but struck out Tuffy Gosewisch and Hulett and got Blanco on a fly to Allen to end it.
In the night, Allen singled with one out and Brignac, who got a break when Hulett dropped his foul pop for an error, singled Allen to second. The runners moved up on Jesus Feliciano’s ground out and both scored on Cole Figueroa’s sixth double of the year.
Bryan Augenstein started the night in place of Dane De La Rosa, who got his third hold of the year, and got Phillies farmhands Pete Orr and Kevin Frandsen on strikeouts before Jason Pridie doubled and Michael Spidale singled him to third. But Augenstein picked up his first save of the season as he struck out Overbeck with the potential tying runs on base.
The Bulls and IronPigs close out their four-game weekend series here at 1:35 p.m. today.
Durham 3, Lehigh Valley 0
DUR|ab|r|h|rbi|LH-V|ab|r|h|rbi
Thompson lf|5|0|1|0|Blanco ss|4|0|1|0
Mangini 3b|3|0|0|0|Orr lf|4|0|0|0
Longoria dh|4|0|1|0|Frandsen 2b|4|0|0|0
1-Salazar pr-dh|0|0|0|0|||||
Anderson 1b|3|1|1|0|Pridie dh|4|0|3|0
Vogt c|4|0|1|0|Spidale cf|4|0|1|0
Allen rf|3|1|2|1|Overbeck 1b|3|0|0|0
Brignac ss|4|1|1|0|Susdorf rf|2|0|0|0
Feliciano cf|4|0|0|0|Gosewisch c|3|0|0|0
Figueroa 2b|4|0|1|2|Hulett 3b|3|0|1|0
Totals|34|3|8|3|Totals|31|0|6|0
1-Ran for Longoria in the 8th.
Durham Bulls|000|000|102—3|8|0
Lehigh Valley IronPigs|000|000|000—0|6|1
E—Hulett (3). LOB—Durham 7, Lehigh Valley 6. 2B—Figueroa (6), Pridie 2 (2). RBI—Allen (2), Figueroa 2 (16). SF—Allen. PO—Hulett (by Torra). CS—Blanco (3).
Durham|IP|H|R|ER|BB|SO
Torra (W, 6-6)|6.2|4|0|0|0|2
De La Rosa (H, 3)|1.1|0|0|0|2|2
Augenstein (S, 1)|1.0|2|0|0|0|3
Totals|9.0|6|0|0|2|7
Lehigh Valley|IP|H|R|ER|BB|SO
Wright (L, 0-1)|6.2|3|1|1|2|3
Purcey |1.1|2|0|0|0|1
Brummett |1.0|3|2|0|0|1
Totals|9.0|8|3|1|2|5
Umpires—HP Mike Estabrook, 1B Adam Hamari, 2B Seth Buckminster, 3B Toby Basner. T—2:43. A—10,100.
Article source: HeraldSun - Durham Bulls
