IL1 Buffalo Bisons

Bisons Rally to Open Second Half with 5-4 Win in Pawtucket

Published on July 11, 2019 under International League (IL1)
Buffalo Bisons News Release


Held without a hit for the first six and a third innings on Thursday night, the Bisons rallied from four runs down to defeat the Red Sox, 5-4, in the second half opener from McCoy Stadium. Patrick Kivlehan's three-run homer in the eighth inning was the crushing blow in a game that was all Pawtucket for the first two-thirds of the contest.

PawSox starter Ryan Weber had his team in complete control. Not only did the 28-year old righty keep the Bisons out of the hit column for the first six innings, the Herd's only two base runners (a pair of walks) were both erased by doubleplays.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox had built a 4-0 lead on rehabbing Blue Jays starter, Ryan Borucki, with two of the runs coming on home runs on consecutive pitches to Rusney Castillo and Sam Travis in the fourth.

But after sacrifice flies in the seventh and eighth inning cut the deficit in half, Kivlehan put the Bisons on top for good. Facing side-winding reliver Trevor Kelly with a pair of runners on base, the slugger drove a 1-0 pitch to straight away centerfield and off the batter's eye at McCoy. The home run was his 16th of the season, 12 of which have come with Buffalo.

With three more RBI, Kivlehan has now driven in runs in seven of eight games in July for a total of 12 since the month began.

Kivlehan's home run was the third and final hit of the night for the Bisons. Billy McKinney broke up Weber's no-hit bid with one out in the seventh, lining a sharp single into right field. That followed Weber issuing a four-pitch walk to Socrates Brito and hitting Kivlehan to load the bases. Richard Urena got the Bisons on the scoreboard when his sacrifice fly scored Brito.

Reese McGuire led off the eighth with a single to right on his own as the Herd loaded the bases again thanks to walks by Andy Burns and Jordan Patterson. Brito made the score 4-2 with his sacrifice fly two pitches before Kivlehan's homer.

As per usual, the Bisons bullpen was excellent. The combination of Edwin Jackson (2.0 innings), Jason Adam (1.0) and Ty Tice (1.0) threw four innings of hitless baseball, allowing just one base runner while striking out four.

Borucki worked the first five innings in his first start above Single-A this season. Sidelined with an elbow injury since Spring Training, the southpaw threw 53 of his 80 pitches for strikes, allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out three batters and walked a pair.

The Bisons and PawSox will continue their five-game in four-day series with a doubleheader on Friday night with the first game starting at 4:35 p.m.

BISONS NOTES: Prior to the game, the Bisons placed RHP Jordan Romano on the injured list. The Blue Jays also released Bisons reliever David Garner...Pawtucket had a rehabbing player as well as first baseman Mitch Moreland went 0-for-4 with a strikeout... At 47-42, the Bisons are five games over the .500-mark for the first time this season.

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International League Stories from July 11, 2019


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