Bisons rebound with 10-0 win

If at first you don’t succeed, try try again, was the mantra the Buffalo Bisons must have been uttering between games of Thursday night’s doubleheader with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Because after dropping game one and posting just two runs, the Bisons’ offense exploded for double-digit runs in only seven innings to grab a split of the doubleheader with a 10-0 victory.

Dilson Herrera began the rout’s scoring with his first home run of the year, a solo-homerun to center field, to give the Bisons’ a 1-0 lead after two innings.

But the offensive explosion did not occur until after ejections of a pair of RailRiders’ players and manager Doug Davis in the top of the third inning.

After the early exits, the Bisons’ bats opened the flood gates on the depleted RailRiders scoring four runs in the bottom of the third inning and five in the fourth.

“The game just took care of itself,” said Bisons’ hitting coach Corey Hart. “We were just kind of watching and it seemed like the momentum really shifted after that so our guys just kind of fed off of that I think.”

In the third, Kevin Smith drove home Cullen Large with his eighth double of the season to extend the lead to two before Jared Hoying broke the game open with a no-doubter three-run home run, his second long-ball in three games with the Bisons.

Into the fourth, Logan Warmoth began the inning with an infield single and scored on a line drive up the middle from Cullen Large. Tyler White kept up the momentum and remained scorching hot in June by singling home a pair of runs to extend the lead to 8-0. The Bisons would add two more before the inning was over and bat completely through the lineup in the inning.

“We came out aggressively and came out swinging so it's always exciting to see them put good wood on the ball and it made good sounds,” said Hart. “It was good to see it from a different angle standing in the third-base coach's box and it was fun to see.”

The Bisons’ bats finished the game producing ten runs, ten hits and batting 5-12 with runners in the scoring position in just six innings of batting.

“They left some more pitches over the plate and our guys didn’t miss them and they were ready to hit, and they did a good job and all their work,” said Hart. “Their hard work they've been doing it's paying off and so it's fun to watch.”

Not to be overshadowed by the tremendous offense, Bisons’ starter Nate Pearson, the top prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, bounced back after surrendering 11 runs in the last two appearances with a shutout performance of the best offense in the Triple-A East Northeast division.

“I'm hitting my stride you know,” said Pearson. “It's so early in the year still and there is still nothing but time. So, it's all about building consistency here now.”

The 6’6” righty took care of five innings, struck out six, walked three, surrendered just three hits. RailRiders’ batters were left shaking their heads as Pearson used a fastball and curveball combination to paint the lower half of the zone and earn his first win of the season.

“He really attacked hitters tonight you know. It was a nice to see,” said Hart. “And he was aggressive.”

The Bisons (16-15) will have a chance to even the series with the RailRiders (21-10) at two games apiece Friday night from Trenton Thunder Ballpark. Bisons’ righty Thomas Hatch is expected to square off with the RailRiders’ Brody Koerner. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.