DURHAM, N.C. — Ed Rogers had a chance to be a hero in the fifth inning last night when the 28-year-old shortstop walked to the plate with the bases loaded and the Pawtucket Red Sox still looking for their first run in the series with the Durham Bulls.

Rogers struck out.

“One of my teammates asked me, ‘Why don’t you get mad because you struck out with the bases loaded?’ ” Rogers said. “I knew the game wasn’t over. I told him ‘Maybe I’ll win the game in the next at bat.’

“That’s how I did it.”

Indeed, Rogers made up for his fifth-inning failure with a seventh-inning success — he broke up a 1-1 tie with a solo home run that hit the wooden bull atop Durham’s high left-field wall and gave the PawSox a 2-1 victory over the Bulls in the second game of the four-game series between the two International League teams.

“You saw a lot of good pitching all night,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said. “There were some good arms on that field.”

Three of the arms belonged to Johnson’s team. Starter Kason Gabbard (2-0) allowed just one run in his six innings of work. Former catcher Edgar Martinez was overpowering in his two innings of relief and closer Travis Hughes shut the Bulls down in the ninth.

“I was tempted to run Martinez out for another inning, but I’ve got Travis Hughes and Mike Burns and all those guys in the bullpen who have had a couple of days off,” Johnson said. “That’s a very good situation down there. My biggest chore during the day is to make sure I get them in the ball game.” Pawtucket needed an outstanding mound performance to overcome a Bulls’ staff that has allowed just two runs in 18 innings in this series. Durham starter Jason Hammel (0-1), who pitched five innings on no-hit ball in his first start, shut out the PawSox on one hit through the first four innings.

Finally, in the fifth inning, Brandon Moss led off with a double into the left-field corner. A walk to Chad Spann and a single by Joe McEwing loaded the bases with no outs and the top of the order coming up.

That’s when Hammel struck out Rogers. But center fielder David Murphy lined a 2-0 pitch back up the middle that ricocheted off Hammel’s back and blooped just beyond the reach of Durham shortstop Jorge Velandia. That scored Moss with the first PawSox run of the series and tied the game at 1-1.

“At the same time, [Hammel] did a very nice job,” Johnson pointed out. “We have the bases loaded with no outs and we get one run. I’ll take that kind of damage control any day of the week.”

Gabbard did some damage control of his own.

The stocky left-hander gave up a solo home run to Durham’s Chris Richard in the first inning, but twice retired Richard with runners on base to get out of trouble. In the third, he faced the Durham left fielder with runners on second and third and induced Richard to ground out meekly to second to end the inning.