BULLS NIP RAILRIDERS

Bulls Nip RailRiders

Durham Takes Opener Between Division Leaders

Durham, N.C. – The SWB RailRiders (Triple-A/New York Yankees) suffered their first extra-inning loss of the season with a 1-0 setback to the host Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays) in 11 innings on Thursday night. The RailRiders (75-42) lost their longest winning streaks of the year overall and on the road at six apiece. The Bulls (72-45) became the IL’s first team to reach 40 home victories.

Scoreless through 10, each team had significant chance to score in the 11^th thanks to its lone extra-base hit of the night. In the top half of the frame, Cito Culver clubbed a double off the right-field wall with one out, but was cut down trying to leg out a triple 9-6-5 by Patrick Leonard-Jake Hager-Kean Wong. The bottom of the 11^th began with a double to left by Wong. Willy Adames bunted a foul pop out to catcher Wilkin Castillo before Jake Bauers’ right-side groundout shifted Wong to third. Clean-up man Johnny Field followed with his lone hit of the game, a walk-off RBI single to left.

Fireballer Diego Castillo (2-2), who hit 100 mph on the in-house gun multiple times over his two scoreless innings, took the win for Durham. Joe Mantiply (5-5) suffered the loss for SWB.

The four-game series continues at 7:05 p.m. on Friday night. SWB is slated to start right-hander Chance Adams (8-3, 2.37) against southpaw Ryan Yarbrough (12-5, 3.27). The RailRiders return home on Tuesday, Aug. 15 to host the Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta Braves) at 7:05 p.m. The Two Dollar Tuesday sports $2 lawn tickets and $2 tallboys, available every Tuesday during the 2017 season. For tickets or more information, please call 570-969-BALL (2255) or visit swbrailriders.com.

OFF THE RAILS:

SWB starter Domingo German fired six scoreless innings of three-hit ball. He struck out eight and walked two. Over his last three Triple-A nods he has gone 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA.

German, J.P. Feyereisen and Mantiply combined to post 13 strikeouts. The staff has whiffed 12+ men in each of the first four games on the road trip. Feyereisen fired three scoreless and hitless innings. He struck out five and walked one.

On a bullpen day, five Durham hurlers assembled 17 strikeouts of their own against one walk. The strikeout total tied a single-game season-high mark for SWB hitters first reached in an 8-1 loss at Rochester on June 6.

Mason Williams went 1-for-4 with his 18^th stolen base.

The RailRiders need to go 17-7 over their final 24 games to break the franchise’s single-season wins record of 91 set by the 2002 Red Barons and tied by the 2016 RailRiders. If this year’s club reaches 91 victories to tie the win mark, it would break the single-season franchise record for winning percentage set by last year’s team (91-52, .636).

Tyler Austin finished 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in his seventh game with SWB on Major League rehab. He has gone 5-for-23 (.217) during that time.

The RailRiders entered play Thursday night a league-best 9-0 in extra-inning games. Durham stood tied for the circuit’s second-worst record in free baseball at 4-9.

Johnny Field’s walk-off hit was the only knock between the two clubs on the night with a man in scoring position (SWB 0-for-3, DUR 1-for-6).