The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (5-6) took on the Durham Bulls (5-6) in game three of a six-game series at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Thursday night. Coming into this game, the series was tied 1-1. Nick Allgeyer (0-0, 3.00 ERA) was on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Durham’s Cooper Criswell (0-1, 4.15 ERA).
After three scoreless innings, the action picked up in the bottom of the fourth inning. IronPigs pitcher Nick Allgeyer hit Jonathan Aranda to start the inning. Two batters later, he walked Kyle Manzardo with one out. That was it for Allgeyer and Francisco Morales replaced him.
Morales gave up a double to Bulls’ shortstop Tristian Gray as the ball went off the wall at center field, scoring Aranda for a 1-0 lead. Then, Bulls’ catcher Nic Dini brought home Kyle Manzardo with a sacrifice fly to center field for a 2-0 lead.
The runs were charged to Allgeyer. His final stats were 3.1 innings, allowing one hit, two runs, two walks, and five strikeouts in 61 pitches, of which 31 were strikes. Morales got Bulls’ center fielder Ruben Cardenas to lineout that ended the inning.
At the top of the fifth inning with two outs, Bulls pitcher José Lopez hit IronPigs’ catcher John Hicks. Then, IronPigs’ third baseman Esteban Quiroz doubled off the monster wall at left field, scoring Hicks. It was now 2-1 Durham. Scott Kingery struck out which ended the inning.
Ben Heller was the new Bulls’ pitcher to start the top of the sixth inning. With one out, IronPigs’ second baseman Vimael Machin singled to right field, followed by shortstop Weston Wilson’s RBI double off the monster wall at left field, scoring Machin that tied the game 2-2.
Two batters later with two outs, IronPigs’ designated hitter Jordan Qsar singled on a ground ball to first baseman Kyle Manzardo. Manzardo tossed the ball to Ben Heller as Qsar beat the throw at first base and Wilson scored for a 3-2 lead. Lehigh Valley could not follow up as the inning ended.
Jakob Hernandez took over pitching duties for the IronPigs in the bottom of the sixth inning. He walked Ben Gamel with one out. Two batters later, Tristian Gray hit an opposite-field two-run home run to left-center field which put the Bulls up 4-3. Hernandez got Nic Dini to fly out which ended the inning.
For the rest of the game, the IronPigs left two runners on base and could not find a way to win the game. They dropped their second straight to the Durham Bulls by the final score of 4-3. The IronPigs were 1-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving eight on base.
IronPigs’ pitcher Jakob Hernandez suffered his first loss of the season. He pitched one inning, allowing one hit, two runs, one walk, and one strikeout in 21 pitches, of which 13 were strikes. Ben Heller won his first game of the season for Durham and Chris Muller earned his first save of the season.
Weather permitting, the IronPigs and Bulls play game four on Friday at 6:35 pm. Tickets for the game are available on StubHub and Viagogo, and pickup IronPigs merchandise today at Fanatics.com.
