Bisons and Durham split twin bill to begin their six-game series
BUFFALO, NY — Opening up a six-game series with a doubleheader after yesterday’s rainout, the Buffalo Bisons and Durham Bulls split the first two games at Sahlen Field on Wednesday night. The Bulls took game one 5-1, before the Bisons came back to win game two 5-0. It was a
BUFFALO, NY — Opening up a six-game series with a doubleheader after yesterday’s rainout, the Buffalo Bisons and Durham Bulls split the first two games at Sahlen Field on Wednesday night. The Bulls took game one 5-1, before the Bisons came back to win game two 5-0.
It was a quiet first game for the Bison offence which mustered just two hits to open up the twin bill. The lone run the Bisons scored was a solo homer off the bat of Otto López in what was the Blue Jays No. 4 prospect’s first game of the season with the Bisons. López was dealing with an oblique injury to start the season and had been rehabbing in Dunedin before joining the Herd.
Bowden Francis, who had to deal with eight left-handed hitters in the Bulls lineup, managed to strike out seven batters over four innings, but gave up eight hits and five runs while walking three. Brandon Eisert and Joe Biagini did their parts to keep the deficit at four, but Bulls starter Easton McGee was at his best through five strong innings. Offensively, the Bulls were led by a 4-4 night from Jonathan Aranda, including a solo homer in the first.
Jeremy Beasley made his first start of the season in game two after appearing in seven games out of the bullpen, and continued his dominant first month of the year, throwing four shutout innings allowing just two hits while striking out five, lowering his ERA to 1.05 in the process.
The Bisons got RBI singles from LJ Talley and Jordan Groshans, as well as a sac fly off the bat of Samad Taylor to take a 3-0 lead after three. Talley and Groshans picked up another pair of RBIs in the fifth to extend the lead to 5-0, while Adrian Hernandez and his wicked changeup led to two perfect innings of middle relief. Kyle Johnston came in to finish things off in the seventh to lock up the win and secure the split.
A single in the first and a single in the second was the extent of the damage the Bisons pitchers allowed, while the Bisons’ pitching staff combined to retire 15 straight Bulls hitters spanning six innings; Beasley got the first seven, Hernandez got the next six, and Johnston retired two before issuing a two-out walk.
The Bisons and Bulls will continue their series tomorrow evening, with Nick Allgeyer and Tommy Romero set to take the hill. First pitch is at 6:05 p.m. EST.