STAFF REPORTS
For the first time in 2017, the Buffalo Bisons are not in first place.
The Herd dropped the opener in their IL North division showdown with the IronPigs as Lehigh Valley claimed the 10-7 victory, Thursday night from Coca-Cola Field. With the win, the ‘Pigs leapfrog the Bisons for the top spot in the division.
It was easy to predict that the four-game series in Eastern Pennsylvania was going to be a heavy-weight fight and the first round was a slugfest. The clubs combined for 27 hits, including 12 for extra bases in Buffalo’s highest scoring game of the season.
For their part, the Bisons hit six doubles and a triple, scoring in five different innings of the contest. However, the Herd was always behind and just couldn’t complete the comeback.
After allowing a pair of unearned runs in the first inning, Buffalo quickly tied the game in the second on an RBI-double from Raffy Lopez and an RBI-single from Roemon Fields. But just as they pulled even, the IronPigs scored two in the third and four more in the fourth to build a big 8-3 advantage. Herd starter T.J. House yielded all eight of those runs (five earned), including three on Rhys Hoskins bases-loaded triple.
To Buffalo’s credit, the club never gave up. Rowdy Tellez doubled in a run in both the fifth and the sixth innings and Christian Lopes added a run-scoring two-bagger of his own to make it 8-6. In the seventh, Lopez hit another double and scored two batters later on a grounder from Fields.
That would be as close as the Bisons got as Lehigh Valley added three insurance tallies in the eighth. The Herd had two base runners in the top half of the frame, but both Lopes and Jake Elmore were thrown out on the bases.
The Bisons will look to recapture first place on Friday night. The four-game series concludes over the weekend with the Herd returning home for seven games starting on Monday.
BISONS NOTES: Roemon Fields finished the game 2-3 with a walk, two RBI and a pair of stolen bases…Raffy Lopez was 3-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. He now has eight RBI in the four games on the roadtrip…The Blue Jays announced prior to the game that RHP Casey Lawrence was claimed off waivers by Seattle…The Bisons now trail Lehigh Valley by a game in the IL division. By starting the year 4-0, the Bisons had a piece of the IL lead every day until today.
