Spencer Horwitz homered and hit the game-deciding two-run double as the Bisons held onto a 5-2 victory over the Syracuse Mets, Sunday afternoon from NBT Bank Stadium. The win gave the Herd a series split against their Thruway Series rival as they prepare to head home to close out the year with 18 of the final 24 games at Sahlen Field.
Buffalo opens a 12-game series on Tuesday night against Indianapolis. Sunday’s win helped the team keep pace with first place Worcester, just 3.5 games back of the division leading Red Sox.
The deciding rally on Sunday came in the fifth inning of a 1-1 game as Horwitz came to the plate with bases loaded and no outs as a leadoff walk for Mason McCoy was followed by singles from Nathan Lukes and Rafael Lantigua. After falling down 0-2 in the count, Horwitz golfed a slider from Mets starter Jose Butto to deep centerfield for a two-run double that one-hopped the outfield wall. The hit extended Horwitz’s most-recent hit streak to eight games and gave the Bisons their first lead of the game.
Then with the score 4-2 in the ninth, Horwitz clubbed his 10th home run of the year with a 390 ft shot into the bullpen beyond the right-centerfield wall. The three-RBI day gave Horwitz a team-leading 72 runs driven in this season.
With yet another multi-hit game, Horwitz is hitting .420 (32-81) in August and .339 on the season, tied for 3rd-best in the International League.
Wes Parson earned the win for Buffalo with five innings of one-run baseball. The righty improve to 5-0 in his last six starts as he worked around six walks by only allowing three base hits.
Gabriel Ponce worked the eighth and ninth innings for Buffalo to earn his first Herd save. Chad Green and Nate Pearson also worked an inning of relief to close out the win.
Buffalo trailed 1-0 early but tied the game in the second inning on an RBI single by catcher Jamie Ritchie. Orelvis Martinez followed Horwitz’s fifth-inning double with a sacrifice fly to cap that three-run rally.
Lukes added three hits and a run scored from the leadoff spot Sunday.
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