Bisons shut out Lehigh Valley 6-0 with strong pitching

BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Buffalo Bisons used a late offensive surge and stellar pitching to take control against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, on their way to a 6-0 victory in the opening game of the series on Tuesday night at Sahlen Field.

After a scoreless first five innings, Buffalo’s bats erupted in the sixth, plating five runs with key two-out hits from Phil Clarke, who drove in two, and, along with RBI knocks from Jonaton Clase, Riley Tirotta, and Clarke. The Bisons added another insurance run in the seventh to stretch the lead to six.

On the mound, Easton Lucas was dominant, tossing 5.1 innings of one-hit ball with four strikeouts before turning it over to Andrew Bash, who fanned four over two perfect innings. Lehigh’s pitching started strong with former Philadelphia Phillie All-Star Aaron Nola pitching 5.2 innings and striking out 11. The IronPigs brought in the three more pitchers to follow only striking out two Bisons.

Offensively, Clase led the way with two hits, a double, an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base, while Damiano Palmegiani, Yohendrick Piñango, and Tirotta each chipped in. Buffalo’s offense tallied eight hits and went 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position, while the pitching staff combined to allow just one hit and two walks.

A trio of relievers combined to pitch the final three and two-third innings to preserve the shutout. Bash struck out four batters, with Wallace and Jennings each recording strikeouts. The team combined for 10 strikeouts with three walks.

The Bisons are set to take on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs for game two of their six-game series Wednesday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. at Salhen Field. Blue Jays former American League All-Star RHP Alek Manoah is slotted to start for the Bisons. The game can be heard on The Bet 1520 AM, the Audacy App and Bisons.com starting at 12:45 p.m. with Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Duke McGuire and ‘Voice of the Bisons’ Pat Malacaro.