Knights Top Bulls 8-7

Former Bulls outfielder Dru Baker homered twice to lead a Charlotte comeback win over the Durham Bulls 8-7 at Truist Field on Friday night.

Baker, who was traded from Tampa Bay to the Chicago White Sox in late April, took out starter Santiago Suarez in the third, then drilled a two-run shot against Joe Rock in a six-run sixth inning as the Knights (28-45) defeated the Bulls (39-33) for the first time in seven games at Truist.

The Bulls pushed across a pair in the second inning for the game's first lead thanks to a two-run double from Tres Barrera. Matt Thaiss then doubled in a pair in the fourth to put Durham ahead 5-1.

Thaiss connected for his first Bulls homer in the eighth inning, a two-run blast over the right field wall to cap a four RBI night.

Suarez permitted two runs over five innings, but missed out on his first Triple-A win as a result of Charlotte's big sixth inning.

How It Happened: The Knights, who were 0-6 at home against Durham in 2025, trailed 5-2 into the sixth when Rock replaced Suarez. Rock surrendered three hits, three walks and a wild pitch while recording just one out. Garrett Acton tossed the final 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball.

IL Title Series Set: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders beat the Buffalo Bisons 10-2 on Friday night to clinch the second half of the International League. The RailRiders will meet the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp beginning Tuesday night in Florida in the best-of-three series for the league title. The winner moves on to Las Vegas for the Triple-A National Championship Game on Saturday, September 27th.

What's Next: The Bulls and Knights close the regular season on Saturday with a split doubleheader. Jesse Scholtens is tentatively scheduled to start the 12:35 PM ET game against Bryse Wilson.