MOOSIC, PA – A strong starting pitching performance by Casey Lawrence was not enough in the Buffalo Bisons 4-1 loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Wednesday night at PNC Field.
The RailRiders struck first in the bottom of the first inning when Andres Chaparro hit his third home run of the series. The RailRiders opened a 1-0 lead thanks to the first baseman’s solo homer.Scranton/Wilkes-Barre extended their lead two innings later thanks to an error committed by the second baseman, Tanner Morris. With one out and runners on first and second, Chaparro earned an RBI when he hit a ground ball to shortstop Otto Lopez.
The shortstop tried to turn a double play, but an errant throw by Tanner Morris went out of play. As a result, the Bisons were unable to end the inning and the RailRiders were able to score to extend their lead to 2-0 after three.
Buffalo climbed back in the game when Jordan Luplow hit a solo homer over the left field fence, trimming the team’s deficit to a run. Luplow was the first batter of the fifth inning, and not only recorded the first run of the game for the Herd, but also their first hit of the night.
Lawrence worked six innings in his start for Buffalo, suffering the defeat despite allowing just two runs, and only one earned run. The veteran righty struck out five, issuing just a pair of walks.
Zach Pop pitched an inning on a Major League injury rehab assignment after being transferred to the team yesterday. The Brampton, Ontario native worked the bottom of the seventh for Buffalo.
In the bottom of that inning, a nasty hop favored the RailRiders, enabling them to further extend their lead 3-1. Jamie Westbrook connected with the ball, which bounced perfectly over an outstretched Lopez. This unexpected hop gave baserunner Rodolfo Duran time to score and balloon the lead to a pair.
The RailRiders maintained their momentum as Westbrook drove in another run on single to left in the bottom of the eighth inning. The final run of the night came against Thomas Hatch, who also worked an inning in relief for the Herd.
Buffalo was unable to complete a comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Greg Weissert worked a perfect top of the ninth inning for his sixth save of the season.
The two teams will meet again for the third game of the series on Thursday night, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. in Moosic.
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