Oliver Dunn’s eighth-inning homer lifts Durham past Norfolk 4-1
Oliver Dunn broke a tight game open with a two-out, three-run homer in the eighth as Durham beat Norfolk 4-1 and kept its late-game roll alive.
Oliver Dunn turned a tense, one-run game into a Durham rout with one swing, launching a two-out, three-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the Bulls past Norfolk 4-1 on June 26 at Harbor Park. The blast off J. T. Walker came after Durham had spent most of the night waiting for an opening, and it gave the Bulls the kind of cushion that had been difficult to find until the final innings.
Norfolk had leaned on a strong start from Dean Kremer, who was making his second MLB rehab appearance after a right quad strain and pitched 6.2 scoreless innings. Kremer allowed two hits and one walk while striking out eight, keeping the Bulls in check until Durham finally broke through in the eighth. Walker took the loss and fell to 2-3 after the inning unraveled around Dunn’s drive.
The Tides created pressure of their own, especially through Enrique Bradfield Jr., who went 3-for-4 with four stolen bases and a run scored. Bradfield’s four-steal night made him the first Tide since Matt Angle on July 26, 2011 to reach that mark in a game, and only the third player to do it in Norfolk Orioles-affiliate history. Even with that speed forcing the issue, Durham never lost contact, and the Bulls made the decisive move once the game was still hanging in the balance.
The swing also fit the way Durham has been winning around the start of the second half. A night earlier, Jake Cave had delivered a lead-changing grand slam, and this time Dunn supplied the late knockout, showing the Bulls can hurt opponents in more than one way. The victory helped Durham keep its second-half opening winning streak moving, strengthen its hold on a road series in Norfolk, and stay tied for first with Toledo and Jacksonville in the second-half race.
Dunn, a 28-year-old left-handed hitter and third baseman drafted by the Yankees in the 11th round in 2019, has been one of Durham’s most productive bats. His 2026 line entering the game sat at .294/.398/.934 with 12 home runs, 45 RBI and 11 stolen bases, production that matched the moment when the Bulls needed a finish rather than another warning shot.
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