The Buffalo Bisons dropped the opening game of a six-game series with the Iowa Cubs by 1-0 on Wednesday night at Sahlen Field, despite another strong performance by the pitching staff.
Bisons’ starting pitcher Casey Lawrence led the way for the Herd, throwing 6.0 innings while striking out a season-high 10 batters for Buffalo. Lawrence’s 27 strikeouts lead Buffalo so far on the season, with Hayden Juenger having the second most at 15. Lawrence also retired 11 straight Iowa batters; the most consecutive outs registered by any Buffalo pitcher this season.
Buffalo came close to tying the game in the bottom of the ninth, with LJ Talley reaching base on a David Bote error before Rafael Lantigua came in to pinch run. After a Vinny Capra walk, a wild pitch by Manuel Rodriguez advanced Lantigua to third and Capra to second. A Rob Brantly walk loaded the bases for the Herd before Bote made amends for his earlier error and started a double play that would win the game for Iowa.
The lone run scored came in the second inning when Jake Slaughter had the hit that scored David Bote for Iowa on a single that escaped the reach of Otto Lopez for Buffalo. Iowa starter Caleb Kilian threw 5.0 scoreless innings for the Cubs, striking out four batters of his own.
The Buffalo pitching staff had one of the best games of the season so far, striking out 15 Iowa batters and only allowing six hits. Hayden Juenger was excellent in relief, collecting four strikeouts and allowing only one hit over 2.0 innings. Nate Pearson threw a perfect inning for Buffalo in the ninth, striking out one of the three batters he faced to keep the Iowa lead in reach for Buffalo.
The game took 2:12, marking the shortest nine-inning game for Buffalo this season. The nine combined hits are also the second fewest in a Buffalo game this season, with Buffalo and Scranton-Wilkes Barre combining for only seven hits on opening day.
The teams will meet for a doubleheader starting at 5:35 p.m. on Thursday evening due to the postponement on Tuesday because unplayable weather conditions.
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Sahlen Field 1 James D Griffin Plaza, Buffalo, NYBuffalo Bisons vs. Syracuse Mets
Sahlen Field 1 James D Griffin Plaza, Buffalo, NYBuffalo Bisons vs. Syracuse Mets
Sahlen Field 1 James D Griffin Plaza, Buffalo, NYBuffalo Bisons vs. Syracuse Mets
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