IL1 Buffalo Bisons

Bisons Lose 6-5 in Extra Innings

Published on August 8, 2015 under International League (IL1)
Buffalo Bisons News Release


Jeff Francis turned in a quality performance on Saturday, but earned a no-decision in his six innings of work. For the Gwinnett Braves, the third time was the charm. Trailing or tied three different times throughout Saturday night, the Braves took advantage of the third opportunity to shake the Bisons bullpen and drive in the winning run in extra innings.

The Herd lost a heartbreaker in 10 innings on Saturday night, losing to Gwinnett 6-5. Buffalo led by as many as three, but ultimately lost its second in a row. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre dropped their matchup, but it still holds a 4-1/2 game lead in the International League.

Knotted up at five apiece entering the 10th inning, the Herd had already blown two opportunities to close the game. Eric Young Jr. singled to lead off the inning and then stole second base to set up the eventual winning run. Young Jr. compiled two of the teams' four stolen bases on the night.

With two strikes, Christian Betancourt drove a sharp liner into centerfield. With the winning run rounding third, Roemen Fields threw a laser into the dish, but wasn't able to beat the runner. In total, the bullpen allowed four earned runs over the final 3-1/3 innings, essentially canceling out a potential victory for a brilliant start.

Jeff Francis continued his dominant streak as of late with another stellar performance on Saturday night. The veteran was only touched up for two runs (one earned) over six innings of work and hurled two strikeouts while leaving the game in position for his fifth victory of the season.

The opportunity was lost, however, within two batters of his removal from the game. The Braves, trailing by a run entering the seventh inning, tied the game with an RBI single in the second at-bat. A single and a stolen base by the previous batter set up the eventual tie.

Gwinnett grabbed one more run in the frame to take a temporary one-run lead, but George Kottaras grabbed a two-RBI single of his own to re-take a slim lead. Kottaras had one of his biggest nights with the Herd, going 2-for-4 and drove in three RBI.

The bullpen turned to Ryan Tepera, but he wasn't able to get the job done either. He gave up three straight hits en route to another tie game.

The Bisons bats did continue their hot streak, compiling 11 hits during the loss. Matt Hague led the way with three hits for the Herd and added an RBI in the third inning to increase his batting average to .347 en route to his 29th multi-hit game of the season. Dalton Pompey and Fields also added two-hit performances.

The Herd will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday when it plays the final matchup against the Braves in Gwinnett before coming home to play Rochester. Team ERA leader Scott Copeland will take the hill in the 2:05 matinee start.

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International League Stories from August 8, 2015


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