Bisons Top Tides on Opening Day, 9-4

Barfield collects four hits and two RBI

By Blake Arlington

April 3, 2008

It's been five days since the Bisons broke spring camp in Florida and they proved Thursday night that they were anxious to get the year started.

Buffalo scored three runs the first time they came to the plate this season and kept the offense rolling in a 9-4 victory over the Norfolk Tides from Harbor Park in Virginia. Josh Barfield had four hits and two RBI in his Bisons debut as the team pounded out 12 hits on the night.

Jordan Brown also had three singles in his first game, including a two-out liner in the first inning that scored Barfield for the first run of the game. Buffalo made it 3-0 when another Buffalo newcomer, third baseman Aaron Herr, tripled in a pair in his first at-bat with the team.

Barfield and Brown singled again in the fifth inning to help load the bases for 2007 Bisons Most Valuable Player, Ryan Mulhern. The designated hitter led the team with 36 doubles a season ago and his first two-bagger of 2008 drove in three. As the inning continued, Barfield singled again to drive in two more runs. The six-run rally in the fifth gave Buffalo an insurmountable 9-0 lead.

Aaron Laffey (1-0) got the win for Buffalo as the southpaw threw quality five innings. He allowed just an unearned run and struck out five.

Dating back to last season, Laffey has now won 10 consecutive decisions with the Bisons.

Tom Mastny allowed a run over two innings of work while Reid Santos and Rick Bauer closed out the win for Buffalo.

BISONS NOTES: Buffalo was actually out-hit in the game, 14-12...Mastny's appearance was his first since playing with the team in 2006. The reliever was 7-2 while spending the entire 2007 season with Cleveland...Each team made three errors.

-herd-