FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2026
Contact: info@durhambulls.com
**Memphis, TN -**-- Thomas Saggese hit a game-winning, three-run home run in the 10th inning to lift the Memphis Redbirds past the Durham Bulls 7-5 on Thursday night at AutoZone Park.
After a groundout by Blake Sabol scored Jake Cave in the top of the 10th to put Durham (17-5) up 5-4, the Redbirds (9-15) rallied for the win. Luis Guerrero (L, 1-5) entered into his first game in 15 days and proceeded to strike out Joshua Baez on two pitches. Baez was called for a pitch clock violation before his at-bat started, unbeknownst to him, and following a debate with home plate umpire Sean Sparling, Baez walked back to the dugout. Nolan Gorman then walked before Saggese towered a sweeper from Guerrero over the left field wall to end the game.
Memphis scored twice in the first inning against starter Brody Hopkins, then tacked on another in the fourth for a 3-0 lead.
Durham scored twice in the fifth on RBI-singles from Cooper Kinney and Homer Bush. The Bulls raced ahead in the sixth when Sabol and Bush scored on the same wild pitch from Hancel Rincon. The ball was retrieved at the backstop by catcher Andy Yerzy as Sabol scored from third. However, Rincon stopped walking toward the plate and began backpedaling to the mound with the play still live. Bush sprinted home to score as Yerzy still held the ball at the backstop, giving the Bulls a 4-3 lead.
That lead was held until two outs in the eighth when Saggese singled against reliever Logan Workman. Colton Ledbetter followed with a double into the right field corner to score Saggese with the tying run.
Bush (2-4, R, RBI, SB), Kinney (2-4, R, RBI) and Morgan (2-4, 2B) each had two hits for Durham. Hopkins worked four innings on 85 pitches, permitting three runs in his no-decision. Workman retired the first eight batters he faced before the single-double combination in the eighth.
The series continues Friday night at 8:05 PM ET with Jesse Scholtens (1-1, 4.50) expected to start against Quinn Mathews (4-3, 3.39).
Notes: Durham's second half lead remained at two games over Indianapolis, which lost to Lehigh Valley Thursday night. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre moved into a second place tie with a win over Syracuse... Rays rehabbing LH Steven Matz tossed a scoreless fifth inning, throwing 16 pitches (12 strikes)... The Bulls ran out of ABS challenges in the third inning. Carson Williams challenged third-strike calls in both the first and third inning, which were confirmed by ABS... The Bulls lead the series 2-games-to-1 over first-half champion Memphis.
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