Game called in the seventh inning following second rain delay
DURHAM, N.C. – The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp fell 3-0 to the Durham Bulls, Friday, in a rain-shortened contest at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Jacksonville (52-42) has now lost three straight games for the first time since July 8-9. Durham (60-33) now leads Jacksonville by 8.5 games in the standings, and have won 17 of the 28 head-to-head meetings.
The Bulls got on the board in the second inning against Shawn Morimando (loss, 3-4). With one out, Nathan Lukes doubled to left-center, and Miles Mastrobuoni followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Brett Sullivan then plated Lukes with a fielder’s choice groundout.
In the third, Vidal Bruján led off the frame with a double off the wall in left, and Dalton Kelly followed with an RBI single up the middle to make it 2-0. Morimando picked up two strikeouts to get out of the inning without any further damage.
Morimando struck out two more in the fourth inning to finish with five punchouts in the ballgame. He did not walk a batter. He finished by giving up two runs on six hits, but was forced to exit after four innings because the game was delayed 1:28 minutes due to rain.
Jake Fishman took over in the fifth inning. He opened the frame by walking Bruján and Kelly. With runners at the corners, Kelly got himself into a run down between first and second base and Bruján raced home ahead of the relay throw home to make it 3-0. Fishman would work out of the inning without any further damage and retired the side in order in the sixth.
In the middle of the seventh, the skies opened again, and following the second delay of the night, the game was called as a completed contest.
The Jumbo Shrimp scattered four hits and four walks over seven innings, highlighted by a two-hit game from Dustin Fowler. However, only once did a Jacksonville runner reach third base.
Jacksonville will look to bounce back Saturday at 6:35 p.m. when the two teams meet for game five of the six-game set. Coverage begins at 6:20 p.m. on ESPN 690 and online at espn690.com and on the MiLB First Pitch app.
ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp offer affordable family fun at 121 Financial Ballpark. Their inaugural season garnered the Southern League’s Don Mincher Organization of the Year, Promotional Trophy and Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year, won by general manager Harold Craw. The club added its second Promotional Trophy in three years following the 2019 season. The 2021 season marks the return of Triple-A baseball in Jacksonville. To experience the excitement with the terrific value of ticket and group options, call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visit www.jaxshrimp.com.
