STAFF REPORTS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dwight Smith Jr. delivered a walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Bisons a 5-4 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens, Sunday afternoon from Coca-Cola Field. The victory gave the Herd the 2-1 series victory over the Hens.
While Toledo couldn’t cash in their free base runner in the 10th, it didn’t take long for the Herd to bring theirs home. With Jonathan Davis placed on second, Smith Jr. drove an 1-2 pitch from Toledo reliever Johnny Barbato deep to the right-centerfield gap. With Davis’s speed, he was able to easily trot home for the game-winning run.
It was the third RBI on the day for Smith Jr., who also had a two-run single in the Bisons’ four-run second inning. He finished the day 3-5 with a pair of doubles.
Davis also had a two-run single in that four run rally for Buffalo, the only other inning the team scored in.
Down 4-0 early, the Mud Hens forced extra innings by scoring a solo run in the fifth inning and tacking two more on in the seventh on Harold Castro‘s RBI-double and a run-scoring groundout. Chad Huffman then came off the bench in the ninth inning and blasted a pinch hit home run to deep centerfield to tie the game.
The Mud Hen rally spoiled another solid spot start from Murphy Smith. The righty allowed just one run in five innings but did not earn the winning decision.
For the first time in his Triple-A career, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was held off the bases. He went 0-4 and was left on deck when Smith Jr. gave the Bisons the win.
The Bisons are now off to Charlotte for the start of a seven-game roadtrip. The team then will return home for the final seven home games at Coca-Cola Field this season, August 21-27.
