St Paul has final answer in Bisons 8-7 loss on Wednesday night

St. Paul, MN – A back and forth night at CHS Field did not go the Buffalo Bisons way, losing in a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth inning to the St. Paul Saints 8-7 on Wednesday night.

The Bisons scored first when Will Wagner hit a two-run base hit to left field that scored Michael Stefanic and Joey Loperfido in the top of the third inning. The hit was Wagner’s second of the game, he was one of four different Bisons’ hitters to record a multi-hit game in the loss. The RBIs gave the Bisons a 2-0 lead after the top of the third inning. The two teams would then trade the lead the rest of the night in a see-saw contest.

The Saints were able to get on the scoreboard with a solo run in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to a Will Holland RBI base hit that trimmed the deficit to 2-1. St. Paul would score in three straight innings, including a pair in the bottom of the fifth that allowed them to enjoy their first lead of the night. Ryan Fitzgerald led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run that tied the game 2-2. With two out in the inning, Carson McCusker’s RBI base hit game the Saints a 3-2 advantage.

Loperfido added his second of three hits on the night, driving in a pair of runs and re-establishing Buffalo’s lead. Riley Tirotta and Josh Rivera scored on the base hit to left field that gave the Bisons a 4-3 lead. St. Paul would once again have the answer with two runs of their own and enjoy a 5-4 advantage through six innings.

The Bisons used back-to-back home runs in the top of the eighth inning to pull ahead once again. Loperfido’s fourth home run of the year was a two-run shot that gave the Bisons a 6-5 lead. It was followed by a Davis Schneider solo home run. It was the first back-to-back home runs for Buffalo on the season, and the first time since August 11, 2024 at Rochester. Schneider’s first home run of the year extended Buffalo’s lead to 7-5.

However, Mike Ford hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Saints their first walk-off win of the year, 8-7.

The two teams will meet for game three of the series on Thursday night at CHS Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:37 p.m. EDT with Trenton Wallace starting for Buffalo. You can listen to the play-by-play with the ‘Voice of the Bisons’ Pat Malacaro on The Bet 1520 AM, the Audacy App, and bisons.com starting at 7:15 p.m.