STAFF REPORTS
It was a ‘Bullpen Day’ all around as four relievers dominated the Clippers in the Bison 5-3 win, Saturday evening from Huntington Park. Kirby Snead, Zach Jackson, Jackson McClelland and Ty Tice combined to throw seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and one walk – the four allowing just a baserunner a piece. The quartet also combined to fan nine Clippers in the victory.
They all allowed their baserunner to reach base in their first respective inning of relief, with the exception of Tice who tossed just one inning, recording his fourth save to close out the ballgame.
Snead replaced Saucedo and came out of the ‘pen by punching out the first two batters he faced. In his second and final inning of relief, Snead struck out the side, giving him five of the team’s thirteen and also recorded his fifth win of the season.
Jackson followed, needing just 21 pitches to record his six outs, one of which was a strikeout.
McLelland was the only Bison pitcher that did not allow a hit on the night, but did dish out a free pass.
Tice rounded out the bullpen’s dominance, allowing a one-out double before getting a fly-out and pop-out to end the two hour and thirty-seven-minute contest.
Buffalo opened the game with a pair of runs in the first inning. Anthony Alford was hit by a pitch to start the night and went to third on a one-out single from Richard Urena. Alford crossed the plate on a wild pitch from Columbus starter Shao-Ching Chiang that went right over catcher Eric Haase. Later in the frame, Patrick Kivlehan hit a single to left that scored Urena.
Trailing 3-2, the Herd took the lead back in the third and kept it that way with the help of the bullpen nearly completely shutting down the Clippers’ offense. Just like the first, Alford reached base to begin the inning, but this time opened with a single. Socrates Brito then reached base on a fielding error by Eric Stamets, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Alford scored Buffalo’s third run to tie the game at three in deja vu-like fashion. The first pitch Chiang threw to Urena skipped before the plate, taking a hop that Haase was unable to handle, allowing Alford to scamper home.
After Urena lined out, Rowdy Tellez brought in Brito with a single to right field that gave Buffalo their second and final lead of the ballgame. Even though the Clippers had the infield in and three infielders on the right-side of the infield, Tellez stroked a base hit that dropped into right, negating the potential defensive stand Columbus had in store to prevent the run from scoring.
Buffalo added an insurance run in the ninth that saw Alford score for the third time in the win. The outfielder hit a ground ball to Stamets that looked like it was going to be the third out of the inning, sending the home team to the bottom of the ninth down just one. The first baseman though, Bradley, started going towards the slowly hit ball, forcing Stamets to hold his throw and Alford to easily make it to the bag. Brito then doubled down the left field line. The relay nearly nabbed Alford at the plate if it weren’t for his leg running into Haase’ swipe tag that knocked the ball out of his mitt.
Tayler Saucedo threw two innings to start the game, with the opening frame being his main hiccup. The southpaw finished his outing allowing three runs on three hits and four walks while striking out four.
Buffalo will look to take the rubber match and even the series at three as the close out the season contest between the Clippers on Sunday. After an off-day on Monday, the Bisons will have their second-to-last homestand of the 2019 season when they square off against the Toledo MudHens and Durham Bulls for three games each beginning on Tuesday.
