ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The IronPigs beat the Bisons 4-3 on Saturday night. After taking three of four from the Herd in Buffalo last weekend, Lehigh Valley has now won the first three games against of the series against the Bisons.
The IronPigs took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third. With runners on the corners against Bisons’ starter Scott Diamond, shortstop J.P. Crawford singled to score Darnell Sweeney. A batter later, Nick Williams continued his hot-hitting against Buffalo, with a run-scoring single. Darin Ruf grounded a ball to David Adams with runners on the corners, when Adams flipped to Alexi Casilla for the force out, but Casilla overthrew first base, allowing Crawford to score.
A pair of Buffalo homers in the top of the fourth cut Lehigh Valley’s lead to 3-2. Facing starter Adam Morgan, Dalton Pompey lined a solo-home run to lead off the top of the inning, putting the Herd in both the hit and run columns. Two hitters later, Matt Dominguez re-tied Jesus Montero for the team-lead in long balls, hitting his 11th home run which barley cleared the left-centerfield wall.
Cam Perkins joined the home run parade in the top of the fourth, taking Diamond deep to leadoff the frame.
Down 4-2, Alexi Casilla tripled to score Tony Sanchez in the top of the fifth, plating the Herd’s third run. The score held for the remaining four innings.
Ryan Goins appeared in his second rehab game with the Bisons this season, playing first base for the first time in his career.
Goins went 0-4 at the plate, while making a sparkling defensive play in the fourth. With one out and a runner on first, Darnell Sweeney lined a ball down the right field line, which Goins dove and caught. Goins then touched first to double off Max Stassi, ending the inning. He was removed after his at bat in the eighth inning.
Adam Morgan pitched 6.0 innings in his first start since April 12, allowing six hit and three earned runs. He improves his record to 2-1.
A pair of singles brought up David Adams in the sixth with the Herd down 4-3, though the Bisons’ second baseman grounded out to end the inning. The Herd put two runners on again in the eighth, when James Russell emerged from the ‘Pigs pen to strikeout Darrell Ceciliani and induce a Domonic Brown groundout.
Scott Diamond battled through six innings of work, allowing four runs, three of which were earned, walking two and yielding six hits. His win-loss record now sits at 6-9.
Danny Barnes entered in the bottom of the seventh for Buffalo, and pitched two innings, allowing no hits and striking out three, one more punch out than Diamond had in four more innings of work.
J.P. Crawford and Cam Perkins both had multi-hit games, and Nick Williams’ RBI single in the contest is his seventh hit and third RBI against Buffalo in the last three games.
Earning his second save of 2016 was Luis Garcia, as the 29-year old righty hurled a perfect ninth inning for the IronPigs. Taylor Featherston robbed David Adams to begin the ninth, diving and throwing off-balance on a groundball to second to nab the would-be leadoff baserunner.
The Bisons outhit the ‘Pigs 8-6, a change of pace from their last two contests, in which Lehigh Valley outhit the Herd a combined 32-10.
The finale of the Bisons’ four-game series in Allentown will take place on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1:35 p.m. Casey Lawrence will be opposed by Ben Lively, who pitched 6.0 scoreless innings against the Herd in his last start.
BISONS NOTES:
Domonic Brown extends his hit streak to four games, and he has hits in 10 of his last 12 games played… The two runs Buffalo scored in the top of the fourth ended a 20-inning scoreless streak. Coming into Saturday, the Bisons last scored in the first inning of Thursdays game against the IronPigs… Pompey’s blast was his second of the season, and his first since May 10… The Bisons all-time record at Coca-Cola Park falls to below .500, at 37-38.
from Bisons.com via IFTTT
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