Ward's Pinch Hit Home Run Lifts Bisons to Victory
IL Buffalo Bisons

Ward's Pinch Hit Home Run Lifts Bisons to Victory

Published on May 30, 2026 under International League (IL)
Buffalo Bisons News Release


BUFFALO, NY - The Buffalo Bisons used back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 6-5 on Saturday afternoon at Sahlen Field.

Josh Rivera tied the game with a solo home run that was followed by a Je'Von Ward pinch-hit home run that turned out to be the game-winning run.

Buffalo scored first in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI single by Schreck to score Ryan McCarty. While on base, McCarty recorded his first stolen base of the season. This gave the Bisons an early 1-0 lead.

Schreck stayed hot in the bottom of fifth inning to extend the Bisons' lead to 3-0. The outfielder hit a two run RBI single to score Carlos Mendoza and Jonatan Clase.

Grant Rogers started the game on the mound for the Herd and was sensational. He allowed zero runs and no walks in 5.2 innings, highlighted by a six pitch fifth inning.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, William Simoneit launched his fourth home run of the season to give Buffalo a 4-0 lead. In this series, Simoneit has two home runs in two games.

Following seven scoreless innings, Lehigh Valley found life in the top of the eighth. Liover Peguero started the scoring with a two run RBI double to score Robert Moore and Dylan Carlson. Christian Cairo skied a sacrifice fly ball to score Gabriel Rincones Jr. from third. And Carter Kieboom gave the IronPigs their first lead of the game with a two-run home run to score Peguero and give Lehigh Valley a 5-4 lead.

The Herd had an answer in the bottom of the eight with thrilling back-to-back home runs. Ward's pinch hit home run was the first for the Bisons since Will Robertson's two-run pinch hit home run on May 29, 2025.

Buffalo and Lehigh Valley are scheduled for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch on Sunday afternoon for the final game of this series. The IronPigs lead the series 3-2. Toronto Blue Jays star pitcher Max Scherzer is slated to start on the mound for Buffalo in a rehab outing. Scherzer is a three-time Cy Young Award winner. Pregame coverage on The Bet 1520 AM, the Audacy app, and Bisons.com begin at 12:45 p.m.

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International League Stories from May 30, 2026


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