STAFF REPORTS
Playing from behind for much of the day, the Bisons dropped a 5-3 decision to the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon at Coca-Cola field. A double to left field from Pawtucket’s Brian Bogusevic all but sealed the game up in the top half of the ninth inning for the visitors.
Bogusevic’s late-game RBI was set up after a force-out situation that landed Ryan Court on first base. Court was able to make it all the way home to give the Red Sox the game-winning run, snapping a 3-3 tie. Pawtucket then added an insurance run from Bogusevic after Buffalo’s Alex Monsalve gave up a passed ball with Tim Roberson batting.
Pawtucket’s Brian Johnson kept the Herd in check for much of the day with his 7.2 innings of work, leaving the door open for the Red Sox to build a lead thanks to Roberson and Rusney Castillo in the third inning. Roberson singled to left field and advanced to second after a wild pitch from Jarrett Grube. Later in the inning, Castillo drove in a homer to right-center field to bring the Red Sox up 2-1.
Trailing 3-1, the Bisons fought their way back into the game after Andrew Guillotte and Roemon Fields each reached base to lead off the seventh. Picking up where he left off the night before, Jake Elmore batted a line drive to right field that sent both Guillotte and Fields to home plate to tie the game at three apiece.
Down two runs in the ninth, the Herd had a good chance of winning the game after loading the bases with a single from Shane Opitz and walks from Monsalve and Elmore. The comeback fell short when Christian Lopes was retired after hitting a fly ball to center field.
Grube started on the mound for Buffalo, pitching for 6.1 innings and giving up three runs. He also had seventh strikeouts on the afternoon. John Stilson (0-3) closed the game out, allowing the final two runs in the process.
With the loss, Buffalo moves to 22-18 overall on the season and remain second to Lehigh Valley in the International League North standings. The Bisons return to action on Sunday for one more game against Pawtucket to close out a seven-game homestand. That game will begin at 1:05 p.m.
BISONS NOTES: Jake Elmore continues to have a great weekend thus far. Including Friday’s game against the Red Sox, the outfielder is hitting 5-10 with five RBIs…The Bisons are now just 3-4 in two-run games…Eight Bisons players were left on base in this contest…The Blue Jays have announced that Dwight Smith Jr. has been optioned to Buffalo.
