Martinez blast fuels Bisons 12-9 extra inning win against Columbus

COLUMBUS, OH - Orelvis Martinez’s grand slam in the top of the 10^th inning not only extended hit hitting streak to 11 straight games, but also powered the Buffalo Bisons past the Columbus Clippers 12-9 on Wednesday afternoon at Huntington Park.

The two teams combined for eight home runs in the extra inning slugfest, with Buffalo and Columbus each hitting four homers. Nathan Lukes hit the first home run of the game two batters in against Connor Gillispie to give the Bisons a 2-0 lead.

They would extend it out to a 3-0 advantage later in the frame on Damiano Palmegiani’s solo homer. It would be the first of two on the day for the young slugger.

But the three-run lead would be short lived when Jonathan Rodriguez’s two run shot trimmed Buffalo’s lead to 3-2. Addison Barger would get the two runs right back in the top of the second with a two-run double that scored Max McDowell and Spencer Horwitz. The infielder’s first two RBIs of the day gave the Bisons a 5-2 lead through an inning and a half.

He would help Buffalo score twice more in the top of the fourth for a five-run lead. His third RBI of the game scored Horwitz and was followed one batter later by a Palmegiani RBI ground rule double to center field. The back-to-back RBI doubles made the score 7-2 in favor of the Bisons midway through the fourth.

However, Columbus would once again answer right back with two runs of their own. Back-to-back solo home runs by Jose Tena and Micah Pries trimmed the deficit to 7-4. The teams would trade solo runs late in the game, giving the Bisons an 8-5 lead heading to the ninth. Palmegiani’s second homer of the game was a solo shot for a brief five-run advantage of 8-4 before the Clippers answered in the eighth.

Tena’s second home run of the game tied the game 8-8 in the bottom of the ninth. It was a three-run homer off of Mason Fluharty. However, the left hander was able to leave the bases loaded to set the stage for the extra innings dramatics.

The Bisons loaded the bases with two outs against Randy Labaut. Martinez’s go-ahead grand slam went an estimated 469 feet, and the exit velocity was clocked at 118.3 MPH. It gave Buffalo a 12-8 lead before the Clippers scored one run in the bottom of the 10^th to get within three.

Fluharty was credited with his second win of the season, while Labaut suffered the defeat. The teams will meet again on Thursday evening for a 6:15 p.m. first pitch in downtown Columbus.