Bisons ousted twice by Knights
The Charlotte Knights arrived in Buffalo with the International League lead in runs scored and combined some solid pitching with their top-notch offense to sweep Saturday's doubleheader with the Herd.
Game One:
Anthony Ranaudo threw 92 pitches for a complete game in the first seven-inning affair of the night as the Knights marched to a 9-1 victory. The 6-foot-7 right-hander gave up just one unearned run while fanning four Bisons to even his record at 2-2.
Having gone 4-0 in his last five starts, Chris Leroux was tagged with a loss for the first time in over a month. Despite striking out a season-high eight batters, the top-hitting team in the I.L. got to the righty for six runs over 4.2 innings in what was his shortest outing since re-entering the rotation on May 14th.
"Leroux barely threw any fastballs in the first two innings and it hurt him. He let the wind affect him because his ball wasn't sinking," noted manager Gary Allenson postgame.
Charlotte jumped ahead early, using a trio of singles to plate a run in the top of the first inning before adding three more in the second with a couple of doubles wrapped around a walk and a hit batter.
The Herd cut the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the third as A.J. Jimenez shot a ball off of the glove of third baseman Matt Davidson and reached on the error. Jio Mier then followed up with his fourth double of the year to bring home Jimenez.
However, the Knights extended their lead to five a couple innings later as Jason Bourgeois, in the midst of a four-hit game, led off with a single. Danny Hayes followed up walk and both were cashed in as unearned runs after an error extended the frame, allowing for a couple of RBI singles from Vinny Rottino and Andy Parrino.
Charlotte bunched three more hits together to tack on another run off of Pat McCoy in the sixth before adding a pair in the following inning to make it a 9-1 contest.
Game Two:
In his second spot-start of the season, Chad Jenkins needed 52 pitches to get through two innings as Charlotte's offense continued to attack, plating three runs on five hits off of the regular reliever en route to a 5-1 victory.
The Bisons got one back in the third as a Tony Sanchez walk was followed up by a ground-rule double off of the bat of David Adams. On the next at bat, Sanchez crossed home during Alexi Casilla's groundout to short.
Chad Girodo then kept the Knights' bats at bay for 2.2 innings but was unable to finish off the fifth. Matt Davidson doubled off of the wall before trotting home on Nicky Delmonico's towering two-run blast that stayed just inside of the right-field foul pole, putting Charlotte up by four.
In his first start of 2016, Will Lamb retired the first seven Bisons he faced before issuing the free pass Sanchez. Blake Smith earned the W with three frames of scoreless relief.
Submariner Ben Rowen and Dustin Antolin combined for 2.1 innings of shutout ball. The two relievers were the only Herd hurlers to make an appearance without giving up a run over the two-game set.
At the conclusion of the night, Allenson summed up the evening quite succinctly.
"It is what it is. They played like a first place club tonight and we didn't."
BISONS NOTES:
Chris Leroux's eight-strikeout effort was one shy of his career high at the Triple-A level…Dalton Pompey legged out an infield single in game one to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. The centerfielder, now 21-for-51 since May 24th, did not play in the night cap…Ben Rowen has now made 12 consecutive appearances without allowing a run - a span of 15.1 innings…Since winning both games against Charlotte on this day exactly one year ago, Buffalo had split its last five doubleheaders.