BUFFALO, NY - A pair of runs in the first two innings were all the Gwinnett Stripers would need Tuesday as they shut out the Buffalo Bisons, 2-0, at Coca-Cola Field in the opener of a three-game series.
BUFFALO, NY - A pair of runs in the first two innings were all the Gwinnett Stripers would need Tuesday as they shut out the Buffalo Bisons, 2-0, at Coca-Cola Field in the opener of a three-game series.
In the top of the first with two outs and the bases empty, Austin Riley stroked a long ground rule double to center off Buffalo right-hander Sean Reid-Foley. Rio Ruiz drove Riley in from second on a single to center for a 1-0 lead.
The next inning, Phil Gosselin drew a one-out walk and scored from first on a double down the left field line from Alex Jackson. Four Stripers pitchers combined to carry the team the rest of the way.
In the bottom of the fifth, Gwinnett starter Andres Santiago ran into trouble after shutting the Bisons down over the first four innings. He gave up a leadoff double to Tim Lopes and, after a throwing error by the catcher Jackson moved Lopes to third, Santiago walked Gift Ngoepe to put runners on the corners with no outs. However, reliever Miguel Socolovich entered the game and retired the next three batters in order to end the threat.
An inning later, Buffalo put runners on first and second with one out against Socolovich. Anthony Alford singled to left, but Dalton Pompey ran through a stop sign at third and was tagged out by Jackson in a run down for the second out. With both remaining runners in scoring position, Socolovich struck out Lopes to end the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, Chad Bell gave up a leadoff single to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a two-out single to Rowdy Tellez. But Chad Sobotka entered from the bullpen to strike out Alford to end the inning.
Santiago pitched 4.0 innings with four hits, two walks and one strikeout. Socolovich (W, 3-3) tossed 2.0 innings with three hits and three strikeouts. Bell (H, 5) went 1.2 innings with two hits and one strikeout. Sobotka (S, 2) worked 1.1 innings with three strikeouts.
Reid-Foley (L, 7-4) pitched 5.0 innings with four hits, two earned runs, two walks and eight strikeouts. Murphy Smith tossed 3.0 innings with one hit and four strikeouts.
Gwinnett was led by Riley, who had two doubles and a scored a run. Dustin Peterson's ninth-inning single kept his on-base streak alive at a team-best 22 games.
Guerrero paced Buffalo with a 3-for-4 night.
The Stripers (53-58) and Bisons (50-61) meet in game two of the series Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. Righty Kyle Wright (1-0, 3.18) will start for Gwinnett. Buffalo will pitch fellow righty Jacob Waguespack (3-6, 5.13). Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 and 93.5 FM "The Other Side of the River" beginning at 6:35 p.m.
