Bisons lose series opener 5-3
The Bisons are an International League-best 43-8 when they score first, so Alex Hassan's double in the third to score first was a promising sign. But the Herd also entered the game winless against Gwinnett this season and has won nine of the last 10 matchups. Friday's game proved the latter.
The Bisons had opportunities, but ultimately couldn't overcome an early deficit as they dropped the first game of the series 5-3 to the Braves on Friday. With Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's victory, the Herd is now 4.5 games behind in the International League standings.
The Bisons accumulated a respectable 10 hits, but only plated three throughout the night. It began in the first inning when Dalton Pompey tripled to lead off the game, but the Herd failed to bring him home in a scoreless first inning. In the fifth inning, the Bisons had runners at the corners, but Melky Mesa struck out to end yet another scoreless inning.
The most heartbreaking inning for the Herd, however, was the eighth inning. Buffalo had runners on first and second with no outs and the go-ahead run was at the plate. Jon Berti hit a sharp grounder towards the third base line, but Sean Kazmar fielded the ball, stepped on third base and proceeded with one of the rarest plays in baseball: the triple play.
The play ultimately ended the inning and preserved the two-run Gwinnett lead. It was the first time the Herd grounded into a triple play since 1994.
The Braves grabbed their early lead from one swing of the bat early on in the game. The Herd was already clinging to a 1-0 lead due to an Alex Hassan RBI, but in the third inning, Phillippe Aumont allowed a three-run home run to Cedric Hunter to lose the lead.
Aumont allowed one more run in the fourth inning before being pulled after the frame. Aumont's command was inconsistent on Friday, throwing six walks compared to four strikeouts. Of his 88 pitches, only 41 of them found the strike zone in his fifth loss of the season.
Other than the ill-timed hits and outs, the Herd overall had an admirable offensive performance. Three Bisons accumulated two hits, including Matt Hague, who has found his swing again after a dry spell of offense. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run while raising his average to .344. The potential MVP now has 147 hits on the season. Hassan and Andy Burns also had multi-hit performances.
The Herd will look to rebound on Saturday as it will continue its series against the Braves. Jeff Francis will take his perfect record into Gwinnett for tomorrow's game, which will begin at 7:05 p.m.
Bisons Bits: The Herd's series with the Braves is the final non-divisional series left on the schedule. The Bisons final games will be played within the International League.
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