JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Despite erasing an early five-run deficit, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp came up just short in a back-and-forth battle with the Durham Bulls on Friday night at VyStar Ballpark, falling 10-9 in front of 5,488 fans.
Trailing 9-8 in the eighth, Durham (40-50, 12-3) evened the game with Jacksonville (50-39, 8-8). With one out, Jake Cave walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Tatem Levins drove in Cave with a base hit, evening the game at nine.
The Bulls took the final lead in the top of the ninth. With one out, Homer Bush Jr. reached on an error. A stolen base coupled with an error put him on third, and he scored on a single from Nick Madrigal, putting Durham in front 10-9.
Durham struck first in the second. Levins was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and Logan Davidson followed with a two-run homer. Following a strikeout, Homer Bush Jr. followed with a solo shot, increasing the lead to 3-0.
The Bulls extended the lead in the third. Carson Williams walked and went to third on a double from Cave. Consecutive sacrifice flies from Blake Sabol and Levin gave Durham a 5-0 advantage.
Jacksonville got on the board in the fourth. Andrew Pintar's leadoff single, coupled with a throwing error, put Pintar at third and Kemp Alderman at second. Deyvison De Los Santos drove in Pintar with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 5-1. Graham Pauley knocked a base hit, scoring Alderman, making it a three-run contest. Consecutive walks from Connor Norby and Agustín Ramírez loaded the bases, and Jacob Berry’s sac fly brought the Jumbo Shrimp to within two, 5-3.
Durham answered right back in the fifth. Sabol singled with one out, and Levins followed with a walk. Three batters later, Bush Jr. smacked a two-run double off Amos Willingham, pushing the lead to 7-3.
The Shrimp offense came alive in the sixth. Norby blasted a solo homer with one out. Ramírez doubled and Jacob Berryfollowed with a two-run shot cutting the deficit to 7-6. Johnny Olmstead singled and went to third on a base hit from Pintar. Kemp Alderman swatted an RBI single, capping a four-run frame, tying the game at seven.
The Bulls regained the lead in the top of the seventh. Davidson drew a walk to start the inning and immediately stole second. Cooper Kinney drew a free pass in the ensuing at-bat, and Bush Jr. bunted the runners to second and third. Two batters later, Oliver Dunn drove in Davidson with an RBI single pushing the lead to 8-7. Kinney was thrown out at the plate trying to score the second run of the inning.
Jacksonville grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Ramírez singled and stole second. Berry singled, and Johnny Olmstead doubled home both runners, putting the Shrimp back on top, 9-8.
The Jumbo Shrimp and the Bulls continue their series with Saturday’s 6:35 p.m. contest. Jacksonville will hand the ball to southpaw Dax Fulton (2-5, 5.98 ERA) and the Bulls will counter with RHP Mason Englert (0-2, 4.60 ERA).
Coverage begins at 6:20 p.m. on Bally Live, MLB.tv, MiLB.tv, ESPN 690 and espn690.com.
Gates open at 5 p.m., and fans can enjoy Christmas Eve in July, featuring holiday-themed music, games, sweet treats, and Santa on the concourse for photos. Be sure to stick around after the game for Saturday Night Fireworks, presented by VyStar Credit Union. The first 2,000 fans through the Main Gate on Georgia St. will receive a Jumbo Shrimp Nutcracker, courtesy of VyStar Credit Union. (One giveaway per person, not per ticket. Giveaways are only available when entering through the Main Gate on Georgia St.).
ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins and compete in the International League. The 2025 International League and Triple-A National Champions, the Jumbo Shrimp call VyStar Ballpark home for baseball but also a wide variety of additional community focused events with a goal of providing Affordable, Family, FUN to Northeast Florida. Winners of many marketing and sales awards and recognition since the team was rebranded prior to the 2017 season, the Jumbo Shrimp continually lead the state of Florida in attendance across all minor league professional sports organizations.