Jacksonville pounces early, routs Durham to even series at one game apiece

Jacksonville turned one inning into the defining stretch of the night, scoring four times in the first and cruising past Durham 11-4 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park to even the six-game series at one game apiece.

The early damage came fast and mostly with two outs. Brody Hopkins, who entered 0-3 and was already laboring through a 33-pitch opening frame, allowed Maximo Acosta’s RBI single and Andrew Pintar’s two-run hit as Jacksonville grabbed control before Durham could settle in. The Bulls briefly answered when Carson Williams, the Rays’ No. 1 prospect and a recent Triple-A arrival after a .364 spring, launched a solo homer in the bottom of the first to make it 4-1. But the message was already clear: Jacksonville had found the opening, and it would not let up.

That first inning left Durham with the kind of deficit that changes game management for the rest of the night. The Bulls did scratch back in the second when Blake Sabol and Brock Jones each delivered RBI singles, trimming the gap to 4-3 and giving the home crowd a short burst of life. Yet Durham’s offense never forced Jacksonville into real trouble after that, even with Williams continuing to be a focal point. He later scored Durham’s final run in the seventh on Raynel Delgado’s groundout, but the Bulls never drew closer than three.

Jacksonville answered every Durham push with another punch. Jesus Bastidas crushed a two-run homer in the fourth after a one-out walk, and the Shrimp kept extending the margin with late runs in the eighth and ninth. Jacob Berry was a force throughout the lineup, finishing 2-for-3 with three walks, three RBIs and two runs scored, while Jacksonville’s aggressive baserunning piled on another layer of pressure, as seven different players stole a base in the win.

The pitching contrast was just as decisive. Dax Fulton started for Jacksonville, but Josh White took over and earned the victory by throwing three hitless innings to improve to 2-0. Durham managed only six hits against a staff that kept turning each early mistake into a longer, tougher night.

There was even an unusual interruption in the fourth when home plate umpire Dereck Pacheco left with an illness, forcing the clubs to finish the final 5 1/2 innings with only two umpires. Charlie Welling, who had started at first base, moved behind the plate for the rest of the game. In front of 8,118 fans, Jacksonville left with momentum and Durham with a clear warning: if the Bulls fall behind early again, the series can tilt quickly. The next test came Thursday at 6:45 p.m. with Thomas White scheduled for Jacksonville and Chase Solesky for Durham.