WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Bulls Errors Lead to Syracuse 9th Inning Win

May 20, 2007

Durham committed two errors in the ninth, and lost 5-4 to Syracuse. Seth McClung took the hard-luck loss.

After bouncing back from a 3-0 deficit to lead 4-3, Dustan Mohr made a diving stab of an Eric Kratz line drive to left center to start the ninth inning. However, Elliott Johnson bobbled a grounder to second to allow Brad Hassey to reach, and Wayne Lydon followed with a single to left to put runners at first and second.

McClung got Russ Adams to pop to short, and seemed to have the game in hand when Curtis Thigpen grounded to short, but Ben Zobrist threw low to first and Wes Bankston couldn't handle it, loading the bases. With John Ford Griffin at the plate, a McClung pitch got by Raul Casanova for the tying run. Griffin then walked to reload the bases. Howie Clark then hit a bad-hop astroturf single over Bankston's head to win the game.

Durham also committed two errors in the second inning, helping lead to Syracuse's first three runs. The Bulls then mounted a comeback in the fourth on a Bankston two-run homer, his sixth. Durham tied the score in the sixth on a wild pitch after a Johnson triple, and took the lead on Justin Ruggiano's two-out two-strike single to center, scoring Zobrist, who singled.

The four-error night spoiled good pitching. Jeff Niemann worked six solid innings. Jon Switzer pitched a scoreless seventh in his first MLB rehab appearance, and Scott Dohmann had a 1-2-3 8th.

The Bulls will look to bounce back on Sunday as Andy Sonnanstine starts against Ty Taubenheim.