Sports stats



IL Buffalo Bisons

Bisons Fall in High-Scoring Opening Day Affair, 12-9, to RailRiders

March 29, 2024 - International League (IL)
Buffalo Bisons News Release


With Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane on the mound to throw the Opening Day ceremonial first pitch, it's only fitting that game one of the Bisons 2024 season ended with a football-esque score. Unfortunately, the Herd was just on the wrong side of the slugfest.

Buffalo plated five runs in the first inning, but Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's had their own big rally, a seven-run fifth, to defeat the Bisons, 12-9, Friday afternoon in front of 10,077 at Sahlen Field.

The Bisons led 5-1 after one and held a 7-4 advantage into the fifth inning until the RailRiders sent 11 men to the plate against the Buffalo bullpen. Designated hitter Jose Rojas greeted southpaw Brandon Eisert with a solo home run into the Bully Hill Party Deck, and four batters later Brandon Lockridge doubled home two runs with a line drive that landed just inside the right field foul line.

Catcher Carlos Narvaez singled home two more to finally put Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on top, before Everson Pereira capped the seven-run inning with a well-struck home run over the wall in left-center field.

The seven-run inning was the biggest blow in a game where all 18 batters in the lineup reached base safely. The two IL East division rivals combined for 24 hits as well as 15 walks and three hit batters in a game that lasted three hours and 29 minutes.

The Bisons got five of their nine runs in the first inning when it was their time to bat around. The biggest blow came three batters in the Herd's first trip to the plate whenSpencer Horwitz blasted a 421-foot home run into the Herd's bullpen for a 2-1 lead.

The Bisons kept the rally going as the next five batters reached base safely. A Dalmiano Palmegiani walk and an Addison Barger single were followed by a chopper to short from Orelvis Martinez that was too slow for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to record an out. Catcher Payton Henry drew a bases loaded walk to add to the Bisons lead before Cam Eden singled home two more with a base hit through the right side of the infield.

After the RailRiders scored three in the fourth inning to close to within 5-4, the Herd grew their lead back to three on a booming two-run double to centerfield off the bat of Barger. Unfortunately, the 7-4 lead did not make it past the RailRiders' fifth.

Top Blue Jays prospect. Ricky Tiedemann started for the Bisons and allowed a run on three hits in 2.2 innings of work. He struck out three and walk two. The Herd bullpen combined to allow 11 runs on 10 hits.

Buffalo will look to turn it around Saturday afternoon with a 1:05 p.m. first pitch against the RailRiders. As part of 'Opening Weekend,' the game will feature 'Kids Cheer Free,' where tickets for kids 14 years old and younger are FREE at the Sahlen Field Box Office with the purchase of an adult ticket.

Check out the Buffalo Bisons Statistics



International League Stories from March 29, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central