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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Redbirds continued the final homestand of the season with a 8-5 win to the Durham Bulls (Triple-A, Tampa Bay Rays) on Friday night at AutoZone Park.
Down two runs in the seventh inning, Memphis rallied for three runs in the frame to take its second lead of the game. Second baseman Cesar Prieto doubled home two to tie the game at five. One batter later, left fielder Ramon Mendoza laced a single to push the Redbirds in front. Memphis scored two insurance runs in the eighth inning on a two-out, two-run double from designated hitter Nolan Gorman.
Catcher Gavin Collins gave Memphis its original lead of the night on a two-run home run in the first inning. The right-handed hitter has nine home runs this season. Right fielder Matt Koperniak went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. The left-handed hitter is now four points behind the league-leading batting average.
Right-handed pitcher Gordon Graceffo allowed five runs on nine hits, walked two and struck out three. The right-handed pitcher tossed 6.0 innings, the first 4.1 of which scoreless. Andre Granillo (4-2) provided 2.0 scoreless innings and struck out four to earn the win. Chris Roycroft (S, 6) pitched a perfect night to close out the win.
The Memphis Redbirds return to AutoZone Park to continue a six-game homestand against the Durham Bulls (Triple-A, Tamba Bay Rays) on Saturday, September 21 with first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m. CDT.
