Bulls Pound Red Sox, 18-1
Published on May 23, 2010 under International League (IL1)
Durham Bulls News Release
Durham, NC - Dan Johnson tied a Durham Bulls Athletic Park record with eight runs batted in as the Bulls won the first of two on Sunday against the Pawtucket Red Sox, 18-1 on Sunday evening.
The Bulls offense broke out in a big way in game one, scoring 18 runs on 17 hits after pushing across just six in their previous five games combined. On Saturday, they touched up Pawtucket righty Boof Bonser for five runs before the game was suspended with runners on first and second with nobody out due to heavy rain. When the game resumed today, Justin Ruggiano was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Johnson pushed a run across with an RBI single. Joe Dillon followed with a two-run double, while a wild pitch and RBI ground out by Angel Chavez would plate two more to give the Bulls a 10-run advantage after two innings.
They added four more in the third, as Johnson teed off on PawSox reliever T.J. Large for a grand slam to make the score 14-0. Johnson struck again in the fifth with a two-run blast deep into the seats in right, this time off Ramon Ramirez, for his second home run of the game to increase the lead to 16-1.
Johnson finished the game going 3-for-4 with two homers and eight RBI, the most by a Bulls player since Chris Richard brought home eight of his own on May 15 of last year. It fell one short of the team record set by Scott McClain on April 24, 1998. The two homers give the Bulls slugger 13 for the season and improves his RBI total to 39, both good enough for second best in the International League behind Buffalo third baseman Mike Hessman.
Seven of the nine Bulls starters finished with at least two hits, while Justin Ruggiano and Desmond Jennings each crossed the plate a season-high four times in the rout. Jennings also added the play of the day on defense, leaping high into the air and crashing into the wall to rob Josh Reddick of extra-bases in the seventh inning.
On the mound for the Bulls, Aneury Rodriguez and Richard De Los Santos combined to hold Pawtucket to one run on six hits over seven innings. De Los Santos picked up the victory, his third of the season after tossing 5.0 innings of relief. Winston Abreu and Heath Rollins finished off the game with scoreless innings of work to put a cap on the victory.
International League Stories from May 23, 2010
- Deja Vu in Durham - Pawtucket Red Sox
- Offense Goes Quiet as Bulls Fall, 1-0 - Durham Bulls
- Syracuse Falls 8-5 to Toledo - Syracuse Mets
- Bulls Pound Red Sox, 18-1 - Durham Bulls
- Gwinnett Grabs 6-3 Win over Tribe - Indianapolis Indians
- Three-run 9th Sends Gwinnet Past Indianapolis, 6-3 - Gwinnett Stripers
- Chapman to Miss Start - Louisville Bats
- Rochester Defeats Norfolk 8-4 - Norfolk Tides
- Lehigh Valley IronPigs Game Notes May 23, 2010 - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
- Buffalo Bison Game Notes May 23, 2010 - Buffalo Bisons
- Rain Halts Game in Durham - Pawtucket Red Sox
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