The Buffalo Bisons swept the Worcester Red Sox in a doubleheader at Sahlen Field on Sunday, with both games finishing with a 2-1 score in come-from-behind fashion.
Nathan Lukes was the game one hero for Buffalo, knocking in the winning run to complete a rally that saw the Herd trailing 1-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning after the WooSox took the lead in the top of the seventh thanks to a Ryan Fitzgerald home run to center field.
The rally in the bottom of the seventh was started by Spencer Horwitz. Cameron Eden replaced Horwitz as a pinch runner and scored the game-tying run thanks to a Wynton Bernard double. Stevie Berman reached on a fielder’s choice and scored the winning run on Lukes’ RBI base hit.
Matt Peacock collected the win for his first of the season, while Yosver Zulueta was given a no decision in his first start of the season for Buffalo. Zulueta threw three innings, striking out six of the 11 batters he faced to open his ledger for the season.
Game two played out nearly identically to game one, with the WooSox getting out to a 1-0 lead, this time in the fifth inning, before Buffalo answered for two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Otto Lopez scored on a fielder’s choice, which helped set the scene for Addison Barger to cross home plate on an error and put the Bisons ahead for good.
Luke Bard started his first game of the season for Buffalo, and only the second of his minor league career, throwing two scoreless innings and allowing only one walk. For the WooSox, James Paxton made a rehab start on behalf of the Boston Red Sox, going three innings and allowing no runs in his Worcester debut this season.
Thomas Hatch collected his first win of the season for Buffalo, throwing two innings and allowing one hit and one run, while Jay Jackson earned his first save of the season for the Herd. The pitching staff once again recorded 11 strikeouts in the victory, led by Bard’s five in the start.
The Bisons will hit the road and face their Thruway Cup rivals, the Rochester Red Wings for a six-game series in the Flower City starting on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at Innovative Field.