STAFF REPORTS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Bisons claimed a Game two victory on a windy Wednesday night against the IronPigs in a doubleheader. All but one of the runs produced in the twin bill were of the longball variety.
In Game one, a single run scored by the IronPigs late in the game gave them enough runs to defeat the Bisons, 1-0. In Game two, a pair of home runs in consecutive innings powered the Herd to a 3-2 win.
Game 1: BUF 0, LHV 1
Sean Reid-Foley had a difficult task pitching against a potent Lehigh Valley lineup–the International League home run leaders.
Reid-Foley tossed 6.1 innings and yielded one run on four hits while striking out six batters. He held the IronPigs scoreless through five frames until Joey Meneses hit a solo home run in the sixth that broke the 0-0 tie.
“He’s fearless,” catcher Danny Jansen said about the young starter. “He sits 95 the whole game and he’s not afraid to throw the off-speed pitches for strikes in any count, and he’s just going to attack you. That’s his philosophy and it works.”
Anthony Alford gave the Bisons life at the plate in the bottom of the fifth. He led off the inning with a standup double. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Reese McGuire and a batter later, was called out of the base path in a rundown when he broke home on a groundball to the IronPigs third baseman Mitch Walding.
The Herd had another two-on, one-out chance in the sixth but failed to score. The inning, however, provided a momentous occasion. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smoked a single to left field on a payoff pitch in this third at-bat of the game to notch his first career Triple-A hit.
Rowdy Tellez reached base in all three of his at-bats, going 2-2 with a walk and two singles.
Game 2: BUF 3, LHV 2
Power-hitting catcher Danny Jansen homered for the second straight night as he skied a two-run blast to left field to put the Bisons ahead 2-1. This helped snap a 12-inning scoreless streak for the Herd dating back to the end of Tuesday night’s game.
“I’m just trying to put a good swing on it, get the guys going,” Jansen said about his home run at-bat. “I was just trying to sit on a heater and saw a breaking ball up and put a good swing on it.”
Jonathan Davis earned his first career home run in Triple-A after launching an inside pitch over the left field fence to give the Bisons insurance in the fifth. This proved to be a much-needed run after the IronPigs plated a run in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly.
One night after Billy McKinney threw a dart to home plate on a fly to prevent a runner from scoring, the outfielder showed off his impressive arm strength twice.
He fielded a single from Jesmuel Valentin and fired a one-hop strike to second to erase him off base in the third. Then, he repeated the same motions to throw out Logan Moore, the potential tying runner, trying to stretch a single into a double.
“It’s big,” Herd skipper Bobby Meacham said about having an outfielder that can influence a game in the field. “Today with two more assists, it allows us to keep ahead and stay in it too.”
Murphy Smith kept the Bisons in the game by throwing five innings and giving up a lone run on a solo home run from ex-Bison Danny Espinosa. After, he settled in to strike out three batters.
Justin Shafer entered the game in the sixth and continued pitching into the seventh to notch a two-inning save. He faced Meneses, a known power threat, and induced a groundout to end the game.
