From staff reports

MOOSIC, Pa. -- When it comes to winning championships, the Durham Bulls don't mess around.

The Bulls claimed their third Governors' Cup in eight seasons Thursday night, winning it with a sweep for the third time with a 3-2 victory in 12 innings at the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

Bulls catcher John Jaso smacked a double off the right-field wall, scoring Elliot Johnson all the way from first base in the top of the 12th to win it.

The Bulls were making their third appearance in as many seasons in the International League's championship series, facing the Yankees for the second consecutive season. This series had to be sweet revenge for 2008, when Scranton took the finals series three games to one with a pair of walk-off victories and a 20-2 triumph at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The Bulls have played their final game of the season at DBAP but still have more baseball to play. The Bulls will travel to Oklahoma City to play the Pacific Coast League champion -- either the Memphis Redbirds or Sacramento River Cats -- for the 2009 Triple-A National Championship on Tuesday night.

Durham trailed 2-0 until the eighth inning when Justin Ruggiano walked and Johnson singled to start the inning. Two outs and a double steal later, Desmond Jennings singled to left scoring both runners to tie the game.

Calvin Medlock picked up the win for the Bulls, pitching scoreless 10th and 11th innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out four. Julio DePaula picked up his first save of the postseason.

Unlike last year's series, the homestanding Yankees couldn't take advantage of multiple opportunities to extend their season.

Three straight two-out walks loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth, but Kevin Russo flew out to leave the runners stranded. A single, a groundout and a wild pitch put Austin Jackson at third base in the ninth, but Cody Ransom struck out looking.

Chris Stewart led off the 11th inning with a double off the wall in left field, but the top three hitters in the Yankees lineup -- Russo, Colin Curtis and Austin Jackson -- struck out to leave pinch runner Eduardo Nunez stranded.

The Yankees had taken the lead early.

Juan Miranda led off the second inning with a drive to left-center field. It seemed to be a sure double until Miranda rounded second and slid into third just ahead of an off-target relay throw. Ransom followed with a sacrifice fly to center field and the Yankees had a 1-0 lead.

The lead grew to 2-0 in the third when Ransom followed back-to-back two-out walks with an RBI single.

-- Scranton Times Tribune staff writer Chad Jennings contributed to this report