Bisons fall to Indianapolis 6-4 on Thursday

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Buffalo Bisons scored first, but a pair of three-run innings by the Indianapolis Indians were the difference in their 6-4 victory over Buffalo on Thursday night at Victory Field. The win was the third straight for Indianapolis against the Bisons.

Buffalo scored first against Indians starter Cam Alldred in the top of the second inning. Luis De Los Santos reached on a fielder’s choice and scored two batters later on a Steward Berroa RBI base hit. The RBI was Berroa’s fourth in the last two games, giving the Bisons a 1-0 lead.

However, Indianapolis would answer with three runs in the bottom of the second off of Bisons starter Chad Dallas. Dustin Peterson drove in Billy McKinney with an RBI base hit to the left side of the infield, tying the game 1-1. Peterson would score on a Nick Gonzales sacrifice fly for a 2-1 lead. They would double the lead to 3-1 with a Yasmani Grandal RBI double that scored Ji Hwan Bae.

The Bisons re-took the lead with three runs of their own in the top of the third inning. Five straight batters reached base against Alldred that started with a Leo Jimenez walk. Orelvis Martinez and Damiano Palmegiani both scored on Payton Henry’s two-run double to tie the game 3-3. Henry scored one batter later after Rafael Lantigua singled to right field. The ball was misplayed, allowing Buffalo to enjoy a 4-3 lead.

They would stay in front until the bottom of the fifth. Caanan Smith-Njigba tied the game 4-4 with an RBI double. He scored when Billy McKinney hit a two-run home run to center field off of Dallas. That gave the Indians a 6-4 lead that they would preserve with the bullpen over the final four innings.

The Bisons and Indianapolis will meet for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch on Friday night at Victory Field. Andrew Bash is slated to start for Buffalo in the fourth game of the six-game series.