ROCHESTER, NY – The Rochester Red Wings used a pair of timely home runs by Franklin Barreto to upend the Buffalo Bisons 8-4 on Wednesday afternoon at Innovative Field.
Buffalo capitalized on their early offensive chance after Nathan Lukes led off the game with a base hit off of Tommy Romero. The Herd outfielder scored one batter later when Vinny Capra hit an RBI double to give the team a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. However, the Red Wings answered with a run of their own thanks to a Wilson Garcia RBI base hit to tie the game 1-1.
Barreto’s first homer of the day was the first of four runs off of Bisons starter Casey Lawrence in the last of the second frame. It was also Barreto’s first hit of the season, snapping an 0-9 start at the plate. Travis Blankenhorn’s two-out, two-run home run capped the scoring for the home team, giving Rochester a 5-1 lead after two innings.
Lucius Fox added to the advantage with an RBI single in the bottom of the third that extended the Red Wings lead to 6-1 after three. Lawrence was charged with the loss, going three innings in his third start of the year for Buffalo. The righty recorded a pair of strikeouts in the defeat.
The Red Wings lead ballooned to 8-1 through five innings when Barreto clubbed his second home run of the game as part of a two run frame. Garcia also added his second RBI base hit of the game.
Buffalo’s offense chipped away against the Red Wings bullpen, with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth and one more in the seventh. Davis Schneider and Tanner Morris had back-to-back RBI base hits in the top of the sixth to trim the deficit to 8-3. Wynton Bernard added his team best sixth RBI of the season with a base hit that scored Capra.
Despite the loss, the Herd pitching staff recorded 10 more strikeouts, led by three from Nate Pearson. He was joined by Hayden Juenger and Luke Bard, combining to throw 3.1 innings of scoreless relief for the team.
The two teams will meet on Thursday evening for the third game of the six-game series starting at 6:05 p.m. at Innovative Field. Zach Thompson is scheduled to make his third start of the season for Buffalo.
