Durham rides early three-run burst, bullpen and defense beat Round Rock 3-2

Durham solved its home-field problem with a formula it can repeat: score first, then let the mound and gloves hold it together. Three consecutive two-out singles in the opening inning gave the Bulls all the offense they would need, and five pitchers protected that cushion in a 3-2 win over the Round Rock Express on Wednesday night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The first inning set the tone immediately. Dom Keegan started the burst with a two-out single, Logan Davidson followed with another, and Raynel Delgado lined the third straight hit to drive in runs and give Durham a 3-0 lead before Austin Gomber could get comfortable. The Bulls finished with only five hits, but three came in that first inning, a reminder that a short, sharp rally can be enough when the pitching plan is lined up behind it.

That plan began with Joe Boyle, making his first rehab appearance for Tampa Bay after the Rays sent him to Durham on May 6 following a right elbow strain. Boyle looked exactly like a starter trying to reestablish rhythm and velocity. He worked two scoreless innings, allowed no hits and struck out four on 31 pitches, 20 for strikes, giving Durham the early lift it needed and keeping Round Rock from ever matching the first-inning damage.

From there, Andrew Wantz took over and delivered two hitless innings to earn the win. KC Hunt, Luis Guerrero and Evan Reifert handled the final four frames, with Reifert locking down his first save of 2026. The Bulls did not make it clean all the way through, committing three errors, including throwing miscues by Raynel Delgado and Gavin Lux twice, but they made the play that mattered most in the eighth.

With Durham clinging to a 3-2 lead, Cam Cauley singled and moved up on a throwing error, putting the tying run in motion and raising the pressure around the plate. Durham answered with the tag out that kept Round Rock from leveling the game, a sequence that mattered as much as any hit in the box score. Austin Gomber took the loss and fell to 0-4.

The result was more than a one-night hold serve. It gave Durham its first back-to-back home wins of the season and backed up Tuesday’s 7-6 walk-off over Round Rock, when Keegan delivered the winning single. At 13-22 against a Round Rock club that came in with the same record, the Bulls found a cleaner road map for winning at the DBAP: early contact, controlled innings, and enough defense to finish.