STAFF REPORTS
SCRANTON/WILKES BARRE, P.A. — On Independence Day, the Bisons were defeated by the RailRiders by a final score of 4-2 from PNC Field. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre scored four unanswered runs in a late-inning rally to dish out a third-straight loss to the Herd.
The RailRiders entered the seventh inning trailing by a pair of runs with only two hits tallied on the scoreboard. Then, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre batted around the order and broke through for a four-spot on five hits to seize the lead.
A broken-bat, RBI-single from Zack Zehner and another single from Francisco Diaz tied the game at two runs apiece. Then, a go-ahead double by Tyler Wade allowed the RailRiders to take a 4-2 advantage.
Despite the team loss, southpaw starter Matt Tracy had a fantastic outing in his Bisons’ debut.
The former Yankees’ farmhand turned Blue Jays’ prospect threw five scoreless innings and held the RailRiders to just one hit. He also struck out three batters. Tracy made quick work of the power-hitting lineup by holding the RailRiders hitless through the first three innings while facing the minimum.
Clint Frazier broke up the no-hit bid in the fourth and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre had its first threat of the game with two runners aboard. Tracy responded promptly by getting the final two outs of the inning to preclude any damage.
Before his exit, Tracy pitched a clean fifth inning and retired the side in order for the fourth time in his start.
The Bisons’ offense had a difficult task ahead of their Wednesday night contest having to face rehabbing starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. The Herd answered the challenge by going into attack mode early on at the plate.
Two batters into the game, Richard Urena took a healthy hack at a hanging breaking ball and deposited the pitch over the right-field fence to give the Bisons a 2-0 lead in the first. Urena’s homer came after Roemon Fields led off the game with a single.
After the productive first frame, the Buffalo offense was quelled and Bisons were unable to mount a comeback of their own following the RailRiders’ seventh-inning surge.