The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (50-56, 15-16) battled the Buffalo Bisons (51-55, 16-15) in game four on Friday night at Coca-Cola Park. Ryan Cusick was on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Devereaux Harrison of Buffalo. Before the game, the Philadelphia Phillies recalled RHP Andrew Painter and sent RHP Brian Keller to Lehigh Valley.
At the top of the second inning, Buffalo had a runner on first base with two outs when Carlos Mendoza hit an RBI double to center field, scoring Ismael Munguia to give the Bisons a 1-0 lead. A fielding error by Lehigh Valley center fielder Kameron Misner allowed Mendoza to advance to third base. Cusick struck out Josh Rivera to end the inning. Ryan Cusick went two innings, allowing two hits, a run, a walk, and four strikeouts, throwing 34 pitches, of which 23 were strikes.
In the bottom of the second inning, Lehigh Valley had runners on the corners with two outs when catcher Payton Henry hit a two-run RBI double to left field, scoring Keaton Anthony and Carter Kieboom to give the IronPigs a 2-1 lead. A flyout by Christian Cairo ended the inning.
Tucker Davidson pitched for Lehigh Valley at the top of the third inning. Moving to the bottom of the fourth inning, Lehigh Valley second baseman Dylan Moore hit a double to right field with one out. He stole third base and stole home plate on a wild pitch by Sam Gardner, extending Lehigh Valley’s lead to 3-1. With two outs, Payton Henry struck out swinging, and the inning was over.
At the top of the fifth inning, Buffalo had runners on the corners with two outs when Daz Cameron hit an RBI double to left field, scoring C.J. Stubbs. It was now 3-2. With the bases loaded, a flyout by Charles McAdoo ended the inning. Tucker Davidson went three innings, allowing two hits, a run, two walks, and three strikeouts, throwing 58 pitches, of which 39 were strikes. Nolan Hoffman pitched for Lehigh Valley at the top of the sixth inning. Hoffman went an inning with one walk and one strikeout, throwing 17 pitches, of which 11 were strikes.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Lehigh Valley had runners on second and third base when Dylan Moore hit an RBI single to left field, scoring Keaton Anthony for a 4-2 lead. Later, Payton Henry hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Otto Kemp for a 5-2 lead. Otto Kemp was hit by a pitch for the 20th time this year, which broke his own record set in 2025 (19).
Christian Cairo walked, and the bases were loaded with one out. With two outs, Lehigh Valley first baseman Felix Reyes hit a two-run RBI single to center field, scoring Dylan Moore and Payton Henry for a 7-2 lead. A flyout by Keaton Anthony ended the inning.
Andrew Bechtold pitched for Lehigh Valley at the top of the seventh inning. He went two innings, allowing one walk, throwing 25 pitches, of which 15 were strikes. Alex McFarlane pitched for Lehigh Valley at the top of the ninth inning. McFarlane struck out the side to get the final three outs of the game. The IronPigs beat the Bisons 7-2.
Lehigh Valley finished the night with eight hits, committed one error, went 4 for 11 with runners in scoring position, and left nine men on base. Payton Henry went 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs. The win went to Lehigh Valley pitcher Tucker Davidson (6-4), and the loss went to Buffalo starter Devereaux Harrison (0-1).
The IronPigs will look to take the series lead on Saturday at 6:35 pm on the MLB App and Bally Sports Live. Alan Rangel (3-5, 4.58 ERA) will be on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Simeon Woods Richardson (1-7, 6.40 ERA) of Buffalo.
