Bisons fall by one to Bats, 6-5
Both the Bisons and Bats had comebacks on Saturday afternoon. Louisville had the last laugh.
After the Herd rallied from four runs down, the Bats scored a pair in the top of the eighth inning to defeat Buffalo, 6-5, at a sun-splashed Coca-Cola Field. Emmanuel Burriss's two-run single proved to be the game winner in a back-and-forth affair.
The Bisons had just completed their own rally a half inning earlier. Mauro Gomez's sacrifice fly drove home Jim Negrych to give Buffalo a 5-4 edge. It's the first game the Herd has lost when winning after seven innings this year. The team was previous 14-0.
Buffalo fought-back after a four-run third inning from the Bats. Five straight hits in the fourth cut the league to 4-3. Eugenio Velez doubled home Andy LaRoche and Negrych hit one off the wall in centerfield to score two more. Ryan Langerhans tied the game when he homered to straight away centerfield to lead off the fifth inning. The blast was his fifth of the season, tied with Luis Jimenez for the team lead.
Gomez's sac fly had Buffalo in position for the win, but Louisville Felix Perez reached on a tough grounder to LaRoche at third with one out in the eighth inning Denis Phipps followed with an infield single and Josh Fellhauer drew a walk to load the bases for Burriss. The Bats' second baseman grounded a Jeremy Jeffress offering up the middle for game-winning hit.
Miguel Batista started for the Bisons and allowed four runs on four hits in six innings of work.
BISONS NOTES: Moises Sierra was ejected in the first inning after he thought he was hit by a pitch on the hands but the home plate umpire ruled a foul ball. Manager Marty Brown said in an in-game interview that Sierra will be re-evaluated tomorrow…Jim Negrych finished the game 3-5 to raise his International League-leading average to .416…Luis Jimenez was given an off day on Saturday.