Bisons secure 'two points' with 7-3 win over Bulls

On a night where the Bisons 'lit the lamp' seven times, it was the four-run sixth inning that helped secure the 7-3 win over Durham in front of 13,809 on Friday's 'Hockey Night at the Ballpark' at Sahlen Field.
The win, coupled with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's 5-2 loss in Gwinnett, pulls the Herd to within two games of the RailRiders in the IL North division. 
Donning special Blue and Gold jerseys as part of a collaboration with the Buffalo Sabres, the Bisons traded runs with the Bulls through the first five-plus innings of the game before breaking out with the game-winning rally in the sixth.  
With the game tied at three, Andy Burns began the frame by reaching base on a fielding error by Durham third baseman, Kevin Padlo. Michael De La Cruz then connected on a one-out single, putting runners on the corners for Roemon Fields. 
The speedy outfielder did what he does best and dropped a drag-bunt that was just out of the reach of the Bull's 6' 10" reliever Aaron Slegers. Fields tagged the base at first safely and Burns scored from third to snap a 3-3 tie.
Sócrates Brito served a two-out pitch well over the head of Bulls centerfielder Emilio Bonifácio for a two-run triple and Richard Ureña knocked in a single to center to bring home Brito for the fourth run of the inning.
Five Bisons collected two hits on the night, including Santiago Espinal who extended his hitting streak to seven games. Espinal is batting .346 in that span (9-26).
Anthony Kay once again had a solid outing with the Herd. Despite picking up his third no-decision in four starts with Buffalo, the southpaw tossed five innings giving up just two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out eight batters for the second consecutive start. Kay has now posted a 3.05 ERA in his four starts with the Herd (20.2 IP, 7 ER 25 K).

Zach Jackson allowed a solo run in the sixth but picked up the win, putting him at 9-0 on the season in 42 appearances. The victory now puts him in a three-way race with Gwinnett's Kyle Wright and Durham's Ricardo Pinto for the most victories in the International League.
The combination of Kirby Snead, Jason Adam and Jordan Romano polished off the victory, combing for three innings of one-hit baseball with five strikeouts.
The Bisons scored first in the game as Fields singled home Burns for the first time on the night in the second inning. After Durham tied it in the third, the Bisons answered right back when Urena doubled home Anthony Alford with a drive into the right field corner. 
Durham answered once again in the fifth before the Bisons took a 3-2 lead on an RBI groundout by Patrick Kivlehan.
Game two of the three-game series with the Bulls is Saturday night as the Bisons host Superhero Night at the ballpark, presented by Niagara County Community College. First pitch is at 6:05 p.m. TICKETS