MEMPHIS, Tenn. – In the first baseball game at AutoZone Park in 593 days, the Redbirds took an early 4-0 lead but ended up dropping a 7-5 contest to the Durham Bulls.
Memphis (0-1) got off to a hot start, plating two runs in the first and two more in the third. Max Moroff and Lane Thomas combined to score all four runs, each scoring twice. The pair powered home a run in the third, as Thomas tripled home Moroff after native Floridian had doubled to begin the inning.
Tommy Parsons was dealing early for the ‘Birds, retiring the first nine Durham (1-0) batters in order with five strikeouts. However, the fourth inning provided painful, as the Bulls brought home four runs in the frame to tie the game. Wander Franco tripled home the first run of the frame, and home runs later in the inning by Kevin Padlo and Dalton Kelly tied the game.
The tie game was short-lived, as Moroff lined a home run over the right-field wall to give Memphis the lead back in the bottom of the fifth. The 27-year-old finished the night 3-3 with a home run, two doubles, two runs, a walk and a hit by pitch.
The tide turned back towards Durham in the top of the seventh, when the Bulls scored two runs by stringing together five straight singles. Those included RBI hits from Vidal Brujan and Franco. The Bulls added an insurance run in the eighth when Ryan Boldt scored on a throwing error.
The Durham bullpen held the Redbirds bats down over the final several innings of the night, with five relievers combining for 4.1 scoreless frames.
The Memphis Redbirds are proud to welcome fans back to AutoZone Park this season. Ticket information can be found at memphisredbirds.com
Next Game
Wednesday, May 5 vs. Durham (6:45 p.m.)
