INDIANAPOLIS, IN. – The Buffalo Bisons exploded for five runs in the top of the second inning and never trailed the rest of their night in their 5-3 victory against the Indianapolis Indians on Thursday night at Victory Field.
Buffalo would use that five-run top of the second for all of their scoring to secure their third straight win of the series against the Indians.
Yohendrick Piñango led off the top of the second inning with a double against reliever Sean Sullivan. He scored on a wild pitch with Christian Bethancourt at the plate for a 1-0 Bisons lead with two outs in the inning. However, Bethancourt reached on a base hit after a walk to Phil Clarke. Josh Rivera hit an RBI double that scored Clarke to double Buffalo’s lead to 2-0.
One batter later Jonatan Clase hit his sixth home run of the season to right field that capped the scoring against Sullivan. Bethancourt and Rivera scored on Clase’s three-run home run that extended the advantage to 5-0.
CJ Van Eyk worked five innings for the victory, his third of the season. The right-handers scattered two hits while allowing a pair of walks and striking out four. Van Eyk did not allow a run in his five innings of work.
Indianapolis tried to mount a mid-game comeback with a solo home run by Ryan Kreidler leading off the bottom of the sixth inning. The outfielder’s fifth home run of the year trimmed the Indians deficit to 5-1. The home run came against Paxton Schultz. He was one of three relievers to work after Van Eyk. Schultz pitched two innings for Buffalo.
Braydon Fisher worked an inning of scoreless relief for the Bisons. The right-hander faced just three batters in the bottom of the eighth inning. Joe Mantiply recorded the final three outs to preserve the victory.
The Indians scored twice against the left-hander in the bottom of the ninth but would get no closer. Both runs came off the bat of Jase Bowen’s two-out triple to left-center field that scored Nick Yorke and Sammy Siani. The Bisons’ lead was cut to 5-3, however Mantiply would get the final out to help secure the win.
The Bisons and Indianapolis will meet for game four of the series at Victory Field on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. Adam Kloffenstein is slated to start for Buffalo in the contest. Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. with the ‘Voice of the Bisons’ Pat Malacaro on The Bet 1520 AM, the Audacy app, and Bisons.com.
