DURHAM, North Carolina – Four Durham home runs – two by Jacob Melton – lifted the Bulls (9-2, 37-49) to a 7-2 win over the Gwinnett Stripers (4-7, 42-43) on Saturday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Gwinnett’s only runs came on a two-run blast by Brewer Hicklen in the third inning. The Stripers trail the series 4-1.
Decisive Plays: Jacob Melton’s two-run homer (2) and an RBI double from Nick Madrigal put Durham up 3-0 against Elieser Hernandez (L, 1-5) after two innings. In the third, Gwinnett cut the deficit to 3-2 on a 400-foot two-run blast to left-center from Hicklen (14). In the fifth, back-to-back-to-back home runs by Carson Williams (10), Melton (3), and Blake Sabol (10) off Anderson Pilar opened up a 7-2 lead that the Bulls would not relinquish.
Key Contributors: Hicklen (1-for-3, homer, 2 RBIs) had one of Gwinnett’s three hits on the night. Hayden Harris and Rolddy Munoz combined to strike out eight batters over 3.0 scoreless innings to finish the game. For Durham, Melton went 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs, and Ty Johnson (W, 4-1) struck out nine over 5.0 two-run innings.
Noteworthy: Hicklen has driven in runs in nine of 12 games since June 21, tallying 16 RBIs in that span. The loss snaps Gwinnett’s four-game winning streak in July 4 games. The Stripers hadn’t lost on Independence Day since being walked off 5-4 by the Bulls on July 4, 2021.
Next Game (Sunday, July 5): Gwinnett Stripers at Durham Bulls, 5:05 p.m. ET at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Radio Broadcast: 4:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live.
Next Home Game (Tuesday, July 7): Gwinnett Stripers vs. Memphis Redbirds, 6:35 p.m. ET at Gwinnett Field. It’s 5-4-3 Tuesday, presented by Sahlen’s Hot Dogs. Radio Broadcast: 6:20 p.m. on MyCountry993.com. Live Video Stream: Bally Sports Live.