STAFF REPORTS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Bisons received a superb start from Chris Rowley and used timely hitting to earn a 3-1 victory against the PawSox from Coca-Cola Field Wednesday night.
Rowley delivered a scintillating performance in his 14th start of the year– his longest outing of the season. He tossed eight innings of five-hit, one-run baseball as he picked up his fifth win of the season and his first victory against the PawSox in the 2018 campaign.
“I felt like I executed my pitches at a pretty good clip,” Rowley said about his start. “[There was] a good defense behind me… and it was just a good outing.”
“He [Rowley] kept pumping strikes,” Bisons’ manager Bobby Meacham commented after the game. “He used his changeup very well. I thought he used both sides of the plate with his fastball and I just think he got stronger as the game went on as far as his concentration level.”
Rowley retired the side on three separate occasions throughout the game and racked up a total of six strikeouts without allowing a walk. These quick innings helped Rowley in a start that went deep into the game.
“If you’re going to pitch into the eighth your pitch count has got to be down and you’re going to have to get some early contact and I felt like that’s what I did,” Rowley said.
The PawSox gained a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a solo shot from Adam Lind but this didn’t deter the Herd at the plate.
The Bisons struck right back in their half of the inning. Reese McGuire sent a line-drive base hit to center field to score Dwight Smith Jr to knot the game up at one run apiece.
The offensive momentum swayed towards the Herd once again as they snapped the tie in the seventh. Anthony Alford drew a walk to open the frame and advanced into scoring position on McGuire’s sacrifice bunt. Darnell Sweeney gave the Bisons the lead when he ripped a single into right field. Alford raced around from second on the hit and slid in safely with a hook slide on a close play at the plate.
Roemon Fields added a much-needed insurance run with an RBI-single that brought home Sweeney, giving the Bisons a two-run lead.
“That was a big inning,” Meacham said. “There was a lot of good stuff… we got a couple of really good at-bats. Sweeney’s at-bat was incredible. Line drive, a great slide at home by Alford. We got another big hit to get an insurance run from Fields.”
Meacham mentioned that the type of clutch hitting turned in by the Bisons tonight is a part of the team’s identity.
“It was a lot of good stuff that inning,” Meacham said. “[I] saw what I think [is] who we are. We just don’t show it enough, and so hopefully we can continue to do that.”
