Bisons halt Bats' winning streak at nine
The nine-game winning streak was the Bats' longest since 2010 when they won 11 in a row from July 22 to August 3. They had two winning streaks of eight games in 2011.
Bats starting pitcher Pedro Villarreal struggled through 4.1 innings in taking the loss. Villarreal (2-5, 4.48) allowed six runs, all earned, on eight hits, three walks, a hit batter and a balk. He struck out five Bisons hitters. Reigning International League Batter of the Week Cody Puckett went 0-for-4 for the Bats, snapping his nine-game hitting streak.
Center fielder Joey Gathright paced the Bats offensively, collecting three hits, a run, two RBI and a stolen base. The Bats' International League All-Star representative, catcher Dioner Navarro, and first baseman Danny Dorn each had two hits and one RBI. Dorn's RBI came on a double in the eighth. It was his 89th career double with the Bats, moving him out of a tie with Gene Roof into sole possession of second place among the franchise's all-time doubles leaders behind Kevin Barker's 97.
However, there was not nearly enough offense for the Bats to come out on top of the Bisons. Pascucci's three doubles were the most by any Bats' opponent this year, and his five RBI tied the most by a Bats' opponent. Toledo's Brad Eldred also had five RBI on April 18 at Louisville Slugger Field after launching two home runs. Jordany Valdespin, Josh Satin and former Bat Fred Lewis each had two hits apiece, the former two each with an RBI.
Southpaw Garrett Olson picked up the win for the Bisons, who will host the 2012 Triple-A All-Star Game two weeks from today. Olson (3-4, 4.74) allowed three earned runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings. He walked three and struck out five.
Pascucci started his reign of terror in the bottom of the second, sending a double off the base of the wall in right-center field to score Lewis and give the Bisons an early 1-0 lead. Buffalo was looking for more when Rob Johnson sent a fly ball to deep right field before Bats right fielder Daryl Jones made a spectacular diving catch on the warning track to end the threat.
Gathright responded to give the Bats the lead with a two-run double in the top of the third to score Jones and Villarreal. Gathright was quick to pick his pitcher up after Villarreal was unable to sacrifice the runners over and bunted into a fielder's choice instead. Navarro followed with a line-drive single to left to score Gathright and boost their lead to 3-1.
Things would start to get shaky for Villarreal in the bottom of the third, however, as the Bisons battled back to tie the game at 3-3. Two batters after a walking the pitcher to start the inning, Villarreal committed a balk on a pick-off attempt and things seemed to just go downhill from there. With Matt Den Dekker on second, Valdespin laced a triple down the right-field line to make the score 3-2. Satin then singled to right to score Valdespin and knot the game.
After a Fred Lewis double and a walk to Pascucci loaded the bases with one out, Villarreal was able wriggle out of the jam to minimize the damage, inducing Matt Tuiasosopo to ground into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. A Rob Johnson home run to left-center field in the top of the fourth would give the Bisons a 4-3 advantage.
The Bisons finally chased Villarreal with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. After a pair of singles to right by Satin and Lewis, Pascucci doubled down the left-field line to score Buffalo's fifth run. Villarreal then plunked Tuiasosopo to load the bases with one out, ending his afternoon.
Josh Judy came in and got Josh Rodriguez to ground to Negron at third for what could have been an inning-ending double play. At second, however, Cody Puckett dropped the throw from the third baseman Negron allowing Lewis to score, giving the Bisons a 6-3 lead.
Six runs would be all Buffalo needed, but Pascucci was not quite satisfied. He blew the game wide open with a three-run double off Judy in the bottom of the sixth to score Den Dekker, Valdespin and Lewis. The knock gave the Bisons a 9-3 lead as they notched runs in five straight innings from the second through the sixth before going on to win by a 9-4 final.
Judy went 1.2 innings in relief and allowed three earned runs on three hits and a walk. Travis Webb and Nick Christiani pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings, respectively, each walking one and striking out two. The Bats combined to walk six Bisons hitters.
The Bats return to Coca-Cola Field tomorrow evening at 7:05 for the third game of the series with the Bisons. RHP Sean Gallagher (6-4, 5.11) will make his team-leading 16th start for Louisville and RHP Collin McHugh (0-2, 8.10) gets the ball for the Bisons.