Buscher delivers, Clippers win, 4-3

For the second time in four games, the Columbus Clippers were walk-off winners in the 11th inning against the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs, winning 4-3 on Sunday. Brian Buscher sealed the deal for Columbus, delivering a pinch-hit, RBI single to left in the bottom of the 11th to send the Clipper faithful home happy.

The Clippers completed a four-game sweep of Lehigh Valley at Huntington Park while winning seven of the eight meetings this season. The Ironpigs have yet to win a game at the Clippers new ballpark, and with Buscher's 25th RBI of the season, Lehigh Valley will have to wait until next year to break that streak.

For the fourth consecutive game, the Ironpigs struck first in the top of the first inning with one run, as Rich Thompson and Chris Duffy led the game off with doubles. Thompson later scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Cody Ransom.

The Clippers, as they have done all series against Lehigh Valley, fought back to take the lead as they scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Jordan Brown walked then Chris Gimenez and Nick Weglarz followed with a single and a double, respectively. Each player scored in the inning. Weglarz continued his great series against Lehigh Valley going 1-for-2 with an RBI double and three walks. Weglarz has reached base safely in eight of his last nine at-bats, compiling four hits and four walks during that span.

The Clippers held their 3-1 lead until the sixth inning, when starting pitcher Yohan Pino gave up a two-run home run to Ransom, a shot that cleared the bleachers in left field. Andy Tracy scored on the home run as well after drawing a walk, his third of the game.

Pino pitched into the seventh inning but didn't finish, as he left a tie ball game after six-and-two-third innings, giving up three runs on six hits and striking out five. His opposition for Lehigh Valley was Joe Savery, who had a similar line as Pino's, going six innings, giving up three runs on six hits, but walked four in the no decision. Josh Judy earned his first win of the season going one inning of relief for Columbus.

The Clippers last five hitters in the lineup (Brown, Gimenez, Weglarz, Anderson Hernandez and Josh Rodriguez) had six of the team's seven hits before Buscher's game winner. Both teams went scoreless from the seventh until the 11th inning with good pitching and mistake-free defense, but Buscher capitalized on the lone mistake and the Clippers bumped their home winning streak to six games.

The Clippers are back in action tomorrow for a double header against the Louisville Bats. Game one will feature Justin Germano (0-1, 6.30 ERA) for Columbus and Chad Reineke (2-3, 2.81ERA) for Louisville. Game two will see Jeremy Sowers (1-1, 2.93 ERA) take the mound for the Clippers against Ben Jukich (1-3, 5.40 ERA) for the Bats.