STAFF REPORTS
The top prospect and all of baseball might also be the hottest hitter in the game.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered for a third straight game as the Bisons defeated the Toledo Mud Hens, 5-4, in front of a Honda fridaynightbash! of 14,516 at Coca-Cola Field
Vladdy wasted little time bringing the near-capacity crowd to their feet, drilling a solo home run to left in the first inning. After watching the first pitches thrown by Hens starter Ryan Carpenter sail outside the zone, he sat on a 2-0 fastball and deposited well beyond the left field wall.
With the blast, Guerrero Jr. now has three homers and six RBI in his first 10 games at Triple-A. While he went 1-4 in the contest, he now has an .800 slugging percentage with the Herd.
While Vladdy’s home run got Buffalo on the board, it was Toledo that took the 4-1 lead midway through the third inning. The Bisons comeback started when Danny Jansen doubled off the left field wall in the third to bring home Jonathan Davis. Then Davis and Jason Leblebijian each had RBI-triples in the fourth to pull Buffalo even.
Leblebijian would then be responsible for the game-winning tally. With Anthony Alford on base in the sixth with a one-out double, the All-Star infielder pulled a ball into the left-centerfield gap for his second extra-base hit of the game. Alford scored easily from second to give the Bisons their first and only lead of the day at 5-4.
Leblebijian finished the game 2-4 with a run scored and two RBI. Six of the Bisons nine hits in the game went for extra bases.
The Bisons bullpen then took over to nail down the win. Tim Mayza came into the game with the bases loaded in the fifth and got the herd out of that jam when Toledo third baseman Harold Castro grounded out. Mayza shutdown the Hens in the sixth and fellow southpaw Jose Fernandez retired all six batters he faced. Justin Shafer then worked the ninth, allowing a hit while collected a strikeout, for his 13th save of the season.
Game two of the Bisons series with the Mud Hens is Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. The game is the team’s annual Superhero Night, presented by Niagara County Community College. Fans should also be reminded that if they have game tickets, they can also come into Coca-Cola Field as early as 3:00 p.m. to watch batting practice. (TICKETS)
