Bisons fall to RailRiders in series opener

MOOSIC, PA — Opening up a six-game set after an off-day yesterday, the Buffalo Bisons fell to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 5-4 on Tuesday night at PNC Field.

The Bisons struck first in the second with a pair of small-ball runs, including a bases loaded hit-by-pitch and an RBI fielder’s choice to go up 2-0.

Casey Lawrence got the start for the Herd and gave up more than two runs for just the second time all season, as the righty went five innings and allowed five hits and four runs, all of which came in the fifth.

After striking out the first two batters of the inning, Lawrence gave up a solo home run to Estevan Florial. After the next two batters reached off a single and a walk, Miguel Andújar went deep to make it a 4-2 game.

Jhony Brito made the start for Scranton and also went five innings, allowing two runs off four hits before giving way to seven-time All-Star and World Series champion Aroldis Chapman. The flamethrowing lefty had a 1-2-3 inning with a pair of K’s as he works his way back from tendinitis in his left Achilles.

Both sides traded runs in the seventh — an RBI double by Otto López in the top half, and an RBI single by Greg Bird in the bottom — before the Herd tacked on another in the eighth off a two-out RBI single by Chavez Young to bring Buffalo within one.

Joe Biagini kept it that way with a perfect bottom half, but the Herd were quieted by Greg Weissert in the ninth who recorded the four-out save to wrap things up.

The Bisons and RailRiders will continue their series tomorrow night with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. EST.