Jacksonville bullpen fires seven scoreless innings in 3-2 win
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –Despite trailing by a run heading to the bottom of the ninth on Sunday, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp prevailed on a walk-off single by Deven Marrero to get past the Durham Bulls 3-2 in 10 innings in front of 4,826 fans at 121 Financial Ballpark.
Jacksonville (26-20) earned a split in the six-game series, and moves to within 4.5 games of the first place Bulls (31-16) in the standings.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning, Santiago Chavez began the frame at second base as the inherited runner. After the first two in the inning were retired by Sean Poppen (loss, 1-2), Marrero lined a ball to center field. Chavez beat the throw home from Durham center fielder Nathan Lukes to complete the comeback win.
Jacksonville entered the home ninth down a run. Brian Miller reached on an error and stole second to get into scoring position. Two batters later, Lewin Díaz lined a ball off the wall in right-center to score him and tie the game at two. However, the Jumbo Shrimp stranded the winning run at third base to force extra innings.
Steven Okert (win, 2-0) fanned five in two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.
After falling behind early, the Jumbo Shrimp had seen 17 straight batters retired by Bulls pitching. However, Isan Díaz broke the streak with a solo home run to right field to put the Jumbo Shrimp on the board for the first time, and make it a 2-1 ballgame.
Shane Baz kept Jacksonville off the scoreboard through the first five innings, racking up 10 strikeouts without allowing a walk. He gave up two hits, but did not factor in the decision.
Durham jumped on the board right out of the gates against Jake Fishman, who was making the spot start for Jacksonville. Vidal Bruján led off with a triple to right-center, and Lukes looped a double down the right field line to score the game’s first run. A Josh Lowe infield single coupled with an error brought in Lukes to make it 2-0.
Fishman would settle down and retire the next nine men he faced, striking out four. Jose Mesa Jr. followed with two scoreless innings, also picking up four strikeouts, including one to strand the bases loaded in the fourth.
Mason Melotakis and Andrew Bellatti each tossed a scoreless inning to bridge the gap to Okert. It was the second time this series the Jumbo Shrimp erased a multi-run deficit in the first inning with the bullpen accounting for at least seven scoreless frames.
After an off day Monday, the Jumbo Shrimp hit the road on Tuesday to face off with the Memphis Redbirds (18-30) for the first time this season. Tuesday’s contest is slated for 8:10 p.m. ET and pregame coverage will begin at 7:55 p.m. on ESPN 690, as well as on the ESPN 690 Facebook page and on MiLB.tv. 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.
