DURHAM, N.C. (Interstat) — Alan Rangel delivered six dominant innings and Garrett Stubbs provided all the necessary offense with a three-run homer in the second inning as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs shut out the Durham Bulls 4-0 on Thursday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The victory improved Lehigh Valley’s early-season record to 4-1, while Durham fell to 1-4. A crowd of 5,346 watched the game, which was completed in a brisk 2 hours, 27 minutes.

The most important sequence of the game came in the top of the second inning against Durham starter Logan Workman. After a quiet first, Workman lost his command, issuing consecutive walks to Óscar Mercado and Pedro León. Stubbs, the IronPigs’ catcher, then took a 1-0 offering and drove it over the center field wall for his first home run of the season, staking Lehigh Valley to a 3-0 lead.

That proved to be more than enough support for Rangel, who earned his first win of the year. The right-hander scattered three hits across his six frames, striking out six and walking none. He faced minimal threat, with Durham’s only runner to reach second against him coming on a two-out double by Tre’ Morgan in the fourth inning. Rangel stranded him there by striking out Dom Keegan.

Lehigh Valley added an insurance run in the fifth. Sergio Alcántara led off with a single and scored on a sharp RBI double by Robert Moore, extending the lead to 4-0.

The IronPigs’ bullpen preserved the shutout with three perfect innings of relief. Chase Shugart struck out two in the seventh, Griff McGarry struck out two in the eighth, and Lou Trivino worked around a one-out single in the ninth to close out the combined four-hitter.

Durham’s offense was stifled throughout, managing just four hits and grounding into three double plays. The Bulls put two runners on with one out in the fifth against Rangel, but he induced a fly out and a strikeout to end the inning. Their best late chance came in the eighth when Blake Sabol doubled and Carlos Colmenarez walked with no outs. McGarry entered and promptly struck out Victor Mesa Jr. before getting Gavin Lux to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

Workman took the loss for Durham, allowing four runs on four hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out seven but struggled with control, walking four. The Bulls’ bullpen of Andrew Wantz, Joe Rock and Kodi Whitley combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

The result flipped the script from the previous night, when Durham defeated Lehigh Valley 6-1, and gave the IronPigs a 2-1 edge in the current six-game series. The teams continue their set Friday night in Durham.

According to pregame projections, Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 7-2 Lehigh Valley victory, while its ELO system gave Durham a 53.4% probability to win. The IronPigs’ pitching staff outperformed both forecasts decisively.

Lehigh Valley will look to continue its strong start as it heads into a long homestand next week following the conclusion of the Durham series. The Bulls, after hosting the IronPigs through Sunday, embark on a six-game road trip in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.