The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders lost 3-2 in their first game of the series against the Durham Bulls on Tuesday afternoon at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Bulls came back from a 2-0 disadvantage and Logan Driscoll brought in Gionti Turner in the final inning, resulting in the RailRiders' first loss in walk-off fashion this season.
Luis Torrens scored first with his initial home run of the season in the second inning. T.J. Rumfield doubled to start the inning and Torrens hit a 2-1 pitch from Bulls starter Mason Montgomery over the 32-foot-high left field wall, giving Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a 2-0 advantage.
RailRiders starter Yoendrys Gomez pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits while striking out six and walking one. Phil Bickford then followed with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, striking out four of the five batters he faced.
The Bulls ended Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s bid for a shutout in the seventh inning. Alex Jackson’s solo home run off Oddanier Mosqueda reduced Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's lead to one run.
In the eighth inning, a Kameron Misner single off RailRiders reliever Yerry De Los Santos brought Ronny Simon home, tying the score at 2-2.
In the ninth inning, Jackson singled to start the inning. With two outs and Turner in as a pinch-runner for Jackson at second, Driscoll singled to left, bringing in the game-winning run.
De Los Santos (L, 1-1) was charged with his third blown save of the season in the loss. Enmanuel Mejia (W, 1-0) was the beneficiary of the last run, securing his first win of the year.
RailRiders pitchers matched a season-high with 15 strikeouts. However, Durham’s staff retired the final 21 batters it faced to hold Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to just the two runs on four hits.
The RailRiders continue this six-game set in Durham on Wednesday evening. Will Warren starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will be opposed by the Bulls and Jacob Lopez. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 P.M.
