The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (19-20) concluded the six-game series on Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Bisons (19-20) at Coca-Cola Park. Bryse Wilson was on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Josh Fleming of Buffalo.
At the top of the first inning, Buffalo had a runner on third base when R.J. Schreck hit an RBI single to right field. Ismael Munguia scored for a 1-0 lead. Later, Buffalo had the bases loaded when Carlos Mendoza hit an RBI soft bunt single to third baseman Robert Moore, scoring R.J. Schreck for a 2-0 lead. With two outs, a flyout by Josh Rivera ended the inning.
Moving to the top of the fourth inning, Buffalo had the bases loaded when R.J. Schreck hit an RBI double to right field, scoring two runs for a 4-0 lead. Then, Willie MacIver hit Wilson’s cutter for a three-run home run at 401 feet to right field for a 7-0 lead. It was his first home run of the season, and the exit velocity off the bat was 103.8 mph.
With two outs, Wilson was replaced by Daniel Harper. Harper struck out Josh Rivera, and the inning was over. Bryse Wilson pitched 4.2 innings, allowing nine hits, seven runs, one walk, and five strikeouts, throwing 86 pitches, of which 57 were strikes. Harper struck out one, throwing six pitches, of which three were strikes.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Lehigh Valley right fielder Bryan De La Cruz hit Josh Fleming’s cutter for a solo home run at 380 feet to left field. The IronPigs trailed the Bisons 7-1. It was Cruz’s fifth home run of the season, and the exit velocity off the bat was 99 mph.
Grant Holman was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley at the top of the sixth inning. He struck out Ismael Munguia and got Josh Kasevich to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. He allowed one hit and one strikeout, throwing nine pitches, of which six were strikes.
Genesis Cabrera pitched the top of the seventh inning. He allowed one hit, throwing 13 pitches, of which eight were strikes, to get three outs.
Moving to the bottom of the seventh inning, Lehigh Valley had runners on second and third base when Paul McIntosh grounded out to third base. Bryan De La Cruz scored, and the IronPigs trailed the Bisons 7-2. A groundout by Robert Moore ended the inning.
Michael Mercado was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley at the top of the eighth inning. With the bases loaded, Charles McAdoo hit a two-run RBI single to center field for a 9-2 lead. R.J. Schreck and Willie MacIver both hit RBI singles that added two more runs for an 11-2 lead. With two outs, Mercado struck out Riley Tirotta to end the inning. Mercado allowed five hits, four runs, one walk, and three strikeouts, throwing 26 pitches, of which 16 were strikes.
Seth Johnson was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley at the top of the ninth inning. Johnson struck out two, throwing 13 pitches, of which eight were strikes, to get three outs.
At the top of the ninth inning, Lehigh Valley designated hitter Carter Kieboom hit a single to third base. With two outs, Caleb Ricketts was called out on strikes, and the game was over. The IronPigs lost to the Bisons 11-2. They also lose the series 4-2.
Lehigh Valley finished the afternoon with five hits, committed one error, went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position, and left five men on base. The loss went to Lehigh Valley starter Bryse Wilson (2-4), and the win went to Buffalo starter Josh Fleming (1-2).
The IronPigs will be on the road next week against the Rochester Red Wings on Tuesday at 6:05 pm on the MLB App.
