Herrera homers Bisons to DH split in Worchester

The Bisons and Red Sox split a pair a twinbill from Polar Park on Thursday night with each team scoring a blowout victory. After the WooSox shutdown the Herd on just three hits to win game one, 7-0, Dilson Herrera homered twice and Christian Colon added a grand slam to give Buffalo an 8-1 win in the night cap.

Herrera blasts the Herd to game two win (by John Pullano)

It took two early home runs from Dilson Herrera, but the Buffalo found their offense in an 8-1 victory from Polar Park.

After a game one shutout loss and two more scoreless frames in game two, Herrera finally broke through for the first Bisons' run of the day in the third inning. The infielder smoked a low line drive to left that just snuck over the fielder's glove and over the wall for his seventh home run of the season.

Herrera then left no doubt in the fifth inning, lifting his second home run of the game deep and onto the grassy field beyond the left-field wall. The estimated distance for Herrera’s eighth blast of the season was 445 feet.

Following Herrera’s pair of home runs, the flood gates opened in the fifth. The Herd strung together three hits and an error to add a pair of runs and extend the lead to 4-0. Rodrigo Vigil beat out an infield single and Logan Warmoth hit a sharp grounder past WooSox third baseman Ryan Fitzgerald for a run-scoring error. Kevin Smith then doubled for one of his four hits in the twinbill and scored on a Tyler White bloop single into center.

Up 4-1 in the seventh, Colon put the Bisons up comfortably with his second grand slam of the season. Colon knew the ball was gone as soon as he swung the bat, admiring it while he walked out of the box.

Overshadowed by a trio of blasts in a seven-inning game, the Buffalo pitching dominated as well allowing just five hits and striking out ten.

Jacob Waguespack worked 3.1 innings of relief and allowed just two hits, one being a solo home run Michael Getty. Overall, the righty barely bent but certainly did not break, striking out three and allowing just three runners into scoring position.

The outing earned Waguespack his 6th win of the season continued his string of spectacular outings. The righty has now allowed two runs over his last 21.1 innings and struck out 19.

In addition, Dany Jimenez made his first start of the season and dug deep over the first two innings. Runners reached scoring position in both frames on two hits and two walks, but Jimenez dug deep and ended each inning with a K, which he finished with four of.

WooSox coast to game one win after big first inning (by Ryan Hagen)

After winning the series opener on Wednesday night at Polar Park, the Bisons came into Thursday’s doubleheader looking to keep their momentum going. Worcester had other plans, and the Woo Sox beat the Herd, 7-0, behind five extra-base hits, three of which came in the first inning.

Leading off the bottom of the 1st for Worcester, Jairo Munoz hit a double, setting the tone for the opposing club. Marcus Wilson soon followed with a one-out double of his own and Munoz scored to give the Woo Sox an early lead.

Trailing by one, Kevin Smith had a chance to end the bleeding for the Herd in the 1st inning, but a throwing error allowed another Woo Sox run, and Buffalo failed to escape the inning. Jett Bandy took advantage of the Bison error, hitting a three-run homer to center field and Worcester took an early 5-0 lead over Buffalo.

Holding the Bisons scoreless for the first three innings, the Woo Sox headed into the bottom of the 3rd looking to add to their five-run lead. After working a one-out walk on four pitches, Josh Ockimey later came around to score after a double from Tate Matheny. The insurance run expanded the Worcester lead to six runs.

Jett Bandy did more damage to the Bisons in the bottom of the 6th. With no runners on base, Bandy homered to left field on the third pitch of his at-bat, his second home run of the game, expanding the Woo Sox lead to seven runs.

Worcester’s 7-0 win over Buffalo marks just the 5th time this season that the Bisons have been shut out. The Herd was shut out once before by the Woo Sox, losing 4-0 on May 23rd in Trenton.

The Bisons were held to just three hits in game one, two of which were produced by Smith. The shortstop now has a hit in 16 consecutive games. Smith expanded that streak with a first-inning single, and later hit a double down the left-field line in the top of the 6th, going 2-for-3 at the plate.

Anthony Kay started his second game on the mound for the Bisons and found himself in a jam early. After allowing five runs in the first inning, three of which were unearned, Kay settled in on the mound, allowing just one run through his remaining three innings. Striking out five batters and walking just one, the southpaw found his control on the mound.