The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders defeated the Durham Bulls 6-1 on Wednesday evening at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Will Warren struck out six batters in six innings and was supported by early and late runs as the RailRiders tied the six-game series at one win each.
In the second inning, Jose Rojas drew a leadoff walk against Bulls pitcher Jacob Lopez. With one out, Jeter Downs hit a 1-1 pitch for a 2-0 lead for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It was Downs' third home run of the season, all of which have been over 400 feet.
Warren pitched four scoreless innings initially. He did not allow a hit until the fourth inning and gave up a solo home run to Dom Smith at the start of the fifth, which was the only run allowed by RailRiders on Wednesday.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre took control of the game with four runs in the seventh inning. Downs walked to lead off the inning against pitcher Colby White and then stole second base while Kevin Smith was at bat. Smith then hit an RBI single.
With two outs, Smith stole second base and then executed a double steal with Caleb Durbin after a walk. White made a mistake, allowing a run which extended the RailRiders' lead to 4-1. Everson Pereira hit his team-leading seventh home run of the season, giving them a 6-1 advantage.
Warren (W, 3-0) secured the win with six strikeouts in six complete innings. Clayton Andrews pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts, and Alex Mauricio pitched the ninth inning, striking out two of the four batters he faced. Lopez (L, 2-2) suffered the loss for the Bulls.
Downs finished 2-for-3 with the home run, a walk, a steal, and two runs scored. Pereira and Luis Torrens also had multiple hits for the RailRiders.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Durham will play the third game of the series on Thursday at 6:35 P.M. Clayton Beeter and Nathan Wiles will start for the RailRiders and Bulls, respectively.
