STAFF REPORTS
BUFFALO — A four-run ninth inning allowed Columbus to defeat the Bisons, 7-5, from Coca-Cola Field Tuesday night. The comeback victory for the Clippers spoiled a rally from the Herd, who trailed by three earlier in the contest.
The Bisons rallied from 3-0 down to take a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning, but that advantage lasted just one pitch. Adam Rosales, who entered the game in the eighth inning, lined the first pitch he saw from Herd reliever Al Alburquerque over the left field fence for a solo shot.
After two more hits for the Clippers, Brandon Barnes‘ stroked a slicing fly ball to right field that just dropped in below a diving Ian Parmley to score Yandy Diaz to give Columbus the lead. Former Bison Jon Berti then delivered the eventual game-deciding hit as he struck a sharp line drive that skipped off the glove of the drawn-in Lourdes Gurriel Jr. at second base. The single allowed both Brandon Guyer and Barnes to score, giving the Clippers a three-run lead.
In the Herd’s final chance in the ninth, they scratched across a run thanks to Roemon Fields‘ RBI-groundout. But with the tying runs on base, Clippers’ reliever Cam Hill got Richard Urena to ground out to end the game.
Down by three early, the Bisons got on the board in the fifth with a sacrifice fly form Fields. Then Gurriel Jr. tied the game in the sixth when he took Clippers’ starter Adam Wilk deep for a two-run, opposite-field homerun.
In the seventh, the Bisons took their first lead of the game when Anthony Alford beat out a potential inning-ending doubleplay.
On the mound, Sean Reid-Foley bounced back from his debut start for the Bisons last Thursday in which he surrendered eight earned runs. On Tuesday night, he yielded three runs in the first frame and then held the Clippers scoreless through the final five innings of his outing. He struck out 10 and allowed just one walk.
Bisons’ manager Bobby Meacham was pleased with Reid-Foley’s second Triple- A outing and believes it could be a confidence-building one for the 22-year-old right hander.
“I thought it was this was big for him,” Meacham said. “To get through six innings, to bounce back from giving up those three early and to give him some confidence for the future… It was great to see,” “He threw the ball well all the way through all six innings, so it was good to see him have success the rest of the way,” Meacham said.
