STAFF REPORTS
Chris Rowley trusted his defense and the Bisons took advantage of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s in a 6-2 Buffalo victory on Monday night from PNC Field. Rowley allowed just five hits and benefited from a trio of doubleplays turned behind him in collecting his second win of the season.
The RailRiders, meanwhile, committed four errors, including three from third baseman Brandon Drury, to help the Herd score three unearned runs.
Rowley worked the ground ball to his advantage in protecting an early 2-1 Bisons lead. He got Kyle Higashioka to bounce into an around-the-horn doubleplay to end the third inning. Then after a 1-2-3 frame in the fourth, the Bisons righty allowed the first two batters to reach in the fifth, but got a corner-to-corner twin killing turned by third baseman, Jason Leblebijian.
With the Bisons lead now at 5-1, Rowley benefited from another doubleplay in the sixth. Again with two on and no outs, Rowley got Shane Robinson to line out to Rowdy Tellez at first, who quickly threw to the second base bag to double-up the lead runner.
Rowley also mixed in three strikeouts in his six innings of work. He allowed just one run on five hits.
Drury’s first miscue on the diamond came on a grounder from Anthony Alford to lead off the second. Darnell Sweeney followed with an RBI-double down the right-field line to get the Bisons on the board. Tim Lopes added to the lead with the first of his three hits on the night to drive in Sweeney.
The Herd tallied two more times in the fourth, again taking advantage of a Drury error. After the RailRiders’ third baseman bobbled a potential inning-ending doubleplay, Danny Jansen drove a two-run single into left field.
Leblebijian took all the fielders out of the equation in sixth inning. Jumping all over a 1-1 off-speed pitch over the heart of the plate from starter Josh Rogers, the slugger drove the ball out of the park to right field. The opposite-field blast was his team-leading third of the season.
Sam Moll got the Bisons out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning and closed out the RailRiders in the ninth to record his first save of the season.
BISONS NOTES
Devon Travis was activated to the Bisons but did not appear in Monday’s game. The second baseman was optioned by the Blue Jays on Sunday…The Bisons also placed Matt Dermody on the disabled list and activated reliever, Murphy Smith. Smith allowed a run on two walks in 1.2 innings of relief in Monday’s game…A day after seeing his 11-game hit streak come to an end, Tim Lopes went 3-4 with a run scored to raise his average to .438 on the season.
Devon Travis was activated to the Bisons but did not appear in Monday’s game. The second baseman was optioned by the Blue Jays on Sunday…The Bisons also placed Matt Dermody on the disabled list and activated reliever, Murphy Smith. Smith allowed a run on two walks in 1.2 innings of relief in Monday’s game…A day after seeing his 11-game hit streak come to an end, Tim Lopes went 3-4 with a run scored to raise his average to .438 on the season.
