DURHAM — The Durham Bulls clinched their third straight International League South Division championship with a 5-1 victory over the Norfolk Tides on Saturday night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Four Durham pitchers combined to hold Norfolk to one unearned run, allowing three hits with 12 strikeouts. Starting pitcher Rayner Oliveros (1-0) picked up his first Triple-A win with 52⁄3 innings of work, allowing a run on two hits, one walk and eight strikeouts.
The Bulls got on the board in the third inning when a single from Henry Mateo scored Elliot Johnson from second. They added two more in the fourth as Johnson and Michel Hernandez laced back-to-back RBI singles to make it 3-0.
Norfolk got its run in the sixth inning.
After Dave Krynzel stole second and advanced to third on an error by Johnson, Justin Turner drove him in with a sacrifice fly to center field, cutting Durham’s lead to 3-1.
The Bulls, however, added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. With the bases loaded, Hernandez hit a single up the middle to drive in two runs, capping Durham’s 5-1 victory.
With its win and Gwinnett’s 10-1 loss to Charlotte, Durham clinched the division and will face Louisville in the first round of the Governor’s Cup Playoffs, which begin Wednesday. This is Durham’s eighth division title in its 12 years in Triple-A ball.
There are two games left in the regular season, both against the Tides. The teams meet today at 5:05 p.m. and 1:05 p.m. Monday.
