BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo Bisons weren’t able to extend their three game winning streak on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Buffalo, N.Y. The Herd lost to the Toledo Mud Hens 7-3 in the series finale.
The Bisons loaded the bases with their first three batters of the game, Rafael Lantigua, Ernie Clement and Davis Schneider, each of whom poked soft line drive singles into the outfield. The next batter, Jordan Luplow popped out to shortstop though, and then Addison Barger grounded into a double play to help Mud Hen starter Joey Wentz sneak out of trouble without allowing a run.
The Mud Hens broke the scoreless tie and broke the game open in the top of the third inning.
Parker Meadows led off the inning with a double and then Nick Solak singled him home. Then Colt Keith walked and Tyler Nevin singled to shortstop. Joe Rizzo continued the rally with a double down the right field line that scored Solak and Keith. The next man up, Donny Sands, hit a sac fly to center.
Then Grant Witherspoon and Corey Joyce walked, to load the bases. The next batter, John Valente, grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Rizzo, and then came back around the top of the Mud Hens order. Meadows smoked a ground ball up the middle on the first pitch of his second at bat of the inning that was too hot for Buffalo’s shortstop Otto Lopez to handle, scoring Witherspoon.
Finally, Solak grounded to third base to end the inning, but not before the Mud Hens made the score 6-0.
Jordan Luplow answered back in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run to make the score 6-1, the only run Buffalo would score in the inning.
Buffalo loaded the bases to start the fourth inning, and then Cameron Eden drove in a run with a fielder’s choice to make it 6-2, before Lantigua and Clement made consecutive outs to stifle the rally.
Toledo extended its lead in the top of the eighth. Valente got plunked by a pitch to start the rally, and then Meadows smacked his second hit of the day. Next, Solak doubled to score Valente. Meadows appeared to score on a sac fly with the next batter, Keith, at the plate, but the umpires ruled he left early and he was called out. The Bisons escaped the inning soon after, but not after Toledo made the score 7-2.
The Bisons chipped away in the bottom of the eighth when Lantigua doubled down the right field line to score Heineman to make the score 7-3.
That’s where the score would stay. Bowden Francis pitched a scoreless two innings in his start, and Paxton Schultz contributed five innings of one-run ball in relief for Buffalo. The Bisons enjoy an off day on Monday before traveling to Syracuse for a six-game series with the Mets.
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