ALLENTOWN, PA – Despite Buffalo’s strong last-minute offensive surge, the Bisons fell 5-4 to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Saturday night at Coca-Cola Field.
Lehigh Valley got the scoring started in the bottom of the second as Jim Haley singled on a line drive to the right fielder, allowing Scott Kingery and Rafael Marchan to round home and put the IronPigs up 2-0.
The IronPigs made it a 4-0 game in the bottom of the third as Aramis Garcia doubled to left field and knocked Weston Wilson and Kody Clemens home.
Darick Hall added an insurance run for the IronPigs in the bottom of the fifth with his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to right center field that made it a 5-0 game.
The Herd broke the shutout in the top of the sixth when Rafael Lantigua hit a ground-rule double over the left field wall which scored Nathan Lukes, 5-1. Luis De Los Santos kept the momentum in the Bisons favor with a single to center field that was long enough to score Lantigua and make it a 5-2 ballgame.
Buffalo continued to chip away at Lehigh Valley’s lead as Orelvis Martinez made it a 5-3 game in the top of the eighth with an RBI sacrifice fly to left that scored Lantigua from third base. This is good for Martinez’s 11th RBI of the season in just 15 games played for the Herd.
The Herd showed their resiliency when they kept battling to the very end as De Los Santos homered to left center field, making it a 5-4 game in the top of the ninth inning. This is De Los Santos sixth home run of the season and second RBI of the game.
The Bisons bullpen was solid in crucial moments yet again. Buffalo relievers Junior Fernandez, Chad Green, and Zach Pop combined for 3.1 scoreless and hitless innings which help put the Herd in the best possible situation for a comeback. This is the Bisons bullpen’s second straight scoreless and hitless outing as the relievers combined for zero runs and hits in 3.2 innings of work on Friday night against the IronPigs.
The Bisons and the IronPigs will wrap up this six-game set on Sunday afternoon with a 1:35 p.m. scheduled first pitch at Coca-Cola Park.
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