STAFF REPORTS
LAWRENCEVILLE, G.A. — The Bisons grabbed an early one-run lead and used the middle innings to break open the game en route to a runaway 8-0 victory against the Stripers from Coolray Field Friday night.
In a sort of homecoming series, Dwight Smith Jr. went 3-4 at the plate. The Georgia native cranked a 2-1 pitch over the right field wall for a 398-foot solo blast in the first – his sixth longball of the year. This gave the Bisons a 1-0 lead.
In the third, he worked a 14-pitch walk, battling from behind 0-2 in the count and in the fifth, he doubled on a groundball that got through to the outfield.
Then, in the sixth, the outfielder capitalized on a bases-loaded chance with two outs to notch his second double and third RBI of the game. The extra-base hit opened up a hefty Buffalo advantage.
Gunnar Heidt, recently recalled from Double-A New Hampshire, smashed a laser into the left-field bleachers for his first Triple-A home run of the season.
Murphy Smith went five innings and allowed just four hits and a run in his last start on August 12. Smith matched a season-high five innings pitched and neutralized the Stripers Friday night.
He delivered a strong performance, yielding a four-hit, scoreless outing to pick up his third win of the season. The right-hander got into a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth but prevented any damage by inducing a groundball to escape the frame.
Smith was backed by quality relief pitching in a combined effort between Conor Fisk and Taylor Guerreri to preserve the shutout.
