Grand Slam powers Rochester to 4-2 victory over Buffalo 

Jake Noll's third inning grand slam powered Rochester to a 4-2 victory over Buffalo Saturday evening at Frontier Field.

The Bisons took an early 1-0 lead in the game thanks to Cavan Biggio. With two outs in the top of the first inning, Biggio, who is currently on a rehab assignment with the Bisons, crushed a 2-1 pitch that hooked just to the left of the foul pole in right field.

That lead did not last long though, as the Red Wings offense snagged momentum after hitting two straight one-out singles. With a pair of outs in the inning, Noll stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. The Rochester infielder slugged the two-strike pitch into the Buffalo bullpen, giving Rochester a 4-1 lead over the Bisons.

Santiago Espinal cut the Red Wings lead in half in the sixth frame of the contest. In his first game since joining the Bisons on a rehab assignment, Espinal took advantage of a first-pitch breaking ball from Rochester starter Jefry Rodriguez. The designated hitter blasted the hanger over the left field wall to put Buffalo within two.

In the top of the eighth, the Bisons attempted to rally. With two outs, Biggio singled to right field, putting the tying run at the plate in Kevin Smith. Smith attempted to squeeze a single between the shortstop and the third baseman to keep the inning alive, but Red Wings’ third baseman Adrian Sanchez made a diving stop, got up and fired the ball to first for the final out of the inning.

The Bisons held the Red Wings scoreless in the bottom of the eighth and headed into the top of the ninth with one last opportunity. Buffalo failed to complete the rally and dropped the second game in a row to Rochester. The Red Wings now hold the series advantage, but with a win tomorrow, the Herd could make the series a draw with both teams winning three games apiece.

Despite out-hitting Rochester seven to five, Buffalo only mustered up two runs in the game, coming from Biggio and Espinal's solo shots.

On the mound, Thomas Hatch took the loss for the Bisons. The righty tossed 2.2 innings, yielding three runs on two hits and a pair of walks in start number 14 on the year. The trio of Fitz Stadler, Dany Jimenez and Jacob Barnes silenced the Rochester bats in the final four innings, combining to strikeout seven batters.

The Bisons (70-46) and Red Wings (47-68) will play the final game of the 2021 regular season on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 pm. Zach Logue is scheduled to start on the mound for the Herd.