STAFF REPORTS
After hitting nine home runs over the last two nights, the Bisons were held homerless in an 8-3 defeat to the Knights on Thursday night at BB&T Ballpark. Charlotte rallied from down two with eight straight runs to avoid being swept in the three-game set by Buffalo.
Eight proved to be the magic number in North Carolina this week. The Bisons scored victories of 8-1 and 8-4 to begin the series, but this time it was the Knights that posted an eight on the scoreboard to claim a win.
Charlotte did so with a pair of four-run rallies, the first of which came in the third inning off Bisons starter, Andrew Sopko. The Knights loaded the bases with one out on a pair of walks and a Herd fielding error. Alcides Escobar followed with a base-clearing double over the head of Socrates Brito in left to give Charlotte the 3-2 lead. Yermin Mercedes tacked on one more run with his soft liner into left to score Escobar.
The Knights scored four again in the fifth, once again loading the bases due in large part to a pair of walks. Mercedes and Paulo Orlando kept things going with RBI-singles that made it 6-2 Charlotte. Rehabbing Chicago White Sox star Tim Anderson plated two more with a sharp line drive single into left field.
The Bisons did have their chances at the plate, but went just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position. The team hit into doubleplays in both the third and fourth inning and had the sacks packed with only one out of the ninth and didn’t score.
The Bisons got on the board first as Bo Bichette doubled to lead off the game and combined with Jonathan Davis for a double steal of home. Rowdy Tellez‘s fought off an inside pitch to loop an RBI-single into centerfield to put the Herd up 2-0 in the third. Charlotte then scored the game’s next eight runs.
The Bisons are now off to Durham for a huge three-game showdown with the Bulls. Both the Herd and the Knights are 4.5 games behind Durham for the IL’s lone wild card spot.
