The Durham Bulls dropped a 4-2 heartbreaker to the Richmond Braves in Game 1 of the Governor's Cup Tuesday night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Trailing by three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning against Braves' closer Joey Devine, Durham got a pair of one-out singles by Michel Hernandez and Elliot Johnson to bring Jon Weber to the plate as the tying run.
On the first pitch of the at-bat, Weber laced a line drive to right center field that seemed sure to fall for at least a single before Richmond center fielder Gregor Blanco came from nowhere to make a full-extension diving catch.
Jason Pridie followed with an RBI single for the Bulls, to keep hope alive, but Devine struck out Durham home-run leader Justin Ruggiano to strand the tying runs on base.
"That was a huge play by Blanco," Durham manager Charlie Montoyo said. "Who knows what would have happened if that ball fell in? But that's what they do. They pitch well and play good defense."
With the victory, Richmond now holds a 1-0 lead in the best-of five series that will determine the International League champion.
The game started with six scoreless frames and Durham starter J.P Howell and Richmond's Jeff Bennett matching each other pitch for pitch.
After striking out the first batter in the top of the seventh, however, Howell got into a jam, allowing consecutive singles and then walking Iker Franco to load the bases. Howell managed to work out of trouble many times earlier in the game, but left a pitch over the plate that ninth-place hitter Mike Rozema was able to pull down the right-field line for a two-run double.
Richmond tacked on another run in the inning on a hard-hit infield grounder that Johnson could not field cleanly at second base.
"J.P. battled the whole game, he gave us a chance to win," Montoyo said. "It was still a 0-0 game in the seventh inning. That's outstanding. That's all you can ask."
The Bulls got a run in the eighth, but with the tying runs on base and Durham desperate for a clutch hit, red-hot Evan Longoria popped out to center field, and Wes Bankston struck out to end the inning.
Longoria, the third overall pick in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, went 6-for-13 with two homers and four RBIs in Durham's opening round sweep of the Toledo Mud Hens, and reached base safely his first three times up last night before his unproductive at-bat in the eighth.
"The sky is the limit for that kid, and believe me, before the series is over, he's going to do something special," Montoyo said. "He knows how to play, and that's one of the reasons we picked him as a first rounder. I'm having fun watching him play."
Game 2 will be played tonight in Durham with Jeff Niemann taking the ball for the Bulls as they look to even the series before playing the final three games in Richmond.
"We've battled back all year," Montoyo said. "I'm proud of my kids. Today is over, we're ready for tomorrow."
Notes:
Rozema started at second base because Atlanta called up Martin Prado, who finished second in the IL in batting this year. On Monday night, Prado record seven-consecutive assists in Atlanta's 3-2 loss to the New York Mets.... The Bulls recorded a rare 7-5-3 putout in the first inning.... The announced attendance was 3,523.
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