The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (60-62, 25-22) took on the Buffalo Bisons (60-63, 25-23) in game three on Thursday night at Sahlen Field. Casey Lawrence was on the mound for Lehigh Valley against John Klein of Buffalo.
Both starting pitchers got out of bases-loaded jams in the first inning. In the bottom of the second inning with one out, Buffalo first baseman Peyton Williams hit Lawrence’s sinker for a solo home run at 392 feet to center field to give the Bisons a 1-0 lead. It was his second home run of the season, and the exit velocity off the bat was 106.5 mph.
At the top of the third inning, Lehigh Valley had runners on first and second base with two outs when left fielder Colby Thomas hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Rafael Marchan, and the game was tied 1-1. Dylan Moore followed up by hitting an RBI single to right field, scoring Carter Kieboom to put the IronPigs ahead 2-1. A pop-out by Paul McIntosh ended the inning.
In the bottom of the second inning, Buffalo tied the game 2-2 on a sacrifice fly by Yohendrick Piñango. Buffalo had a runner on third base with one out when Nick Goodwin hit an RBI single to center field, scoring Sean Keys for a 3-2 lead. With two outs, Lawrence struck out C.J. Stubbs.
At the top of the fourth inning, Lehigh Valley had a runner on second base with two outs when Kameron Misner hit Devereaux Harrison’s four-seam fastball for a two-run home run at 397 feet to center field, giving the IronPigs a 4-3 lead. It was his 18th home run of the season, and the exit velocity off the bat was 102.8 mph. A groundout by Otto Kemp ended the inning.
At the top of the fifth inning, Colby Thomas hit a triple with one out. Dylan Moore followed up by hitting an RBI single to center field, bringing home Thomas for a 5-3 lead. Paul McIntosh grounded into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Buffalo had runners on first and second base with two outs when Carlos Mendoza hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Ismael Munguia. It was now 5-4. Lawrence was replaced by Kyle Backhus. A lineout by Rudy Martin Jr. ended the inning.
Casey Lawrence went 5.2 innings, allowing nine hits, four runs, and four strikeouts, throwing 88 pitches, of which 57 were strikes. Kyle Backhus went 1.1 innings, allowing a hit and struck out one, throwing 11 pitches, of which eight were strikes.
Max Lazar pitched for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the eighth inning. He allowed a hit and struck out two, throwing 11 pitches, of which 10 were strikes. At the top of the ninth inning, Lehigh Valley added some insurance runs. The IronPigs had a runner on first base with one out when Otto Kemp hit an RBI triple to right field, scoring Rafael Marchan for a 6-4 lead. It was Kemp’s third triple of the season. Carter Kieboom followed up by hitting an RBI single to left field, scoring Otto Kemp for a 7-4 lead. Colby Thomas struck out swinging, and the inning was over.
Lou Trivino III pitched for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two outs, Buffalo third baseman Sean Keys hit an RBI single to center field, scoring Rudy Martin Jr. It was now 7-5. A groundout by Yohendrick Piñango ended the game. Trivino allowed two hits and one run, throwing 13 pitches, of which nine were strikes, to get the final three outs.
The IronPigs held on to beat the Bisons 7-5. It is their fourth straight win. Lehigh Valley finished the night with 11 hits, went 6 for 12 with runners in scoring position, and left eight men on base. Colby Thomas went 3 for 5 with a triple and an RBI, and Kameron Misner went 1 for 4 with a home run, a walk, and two RBIs. The win went to Lehigh Valley starter Casey Lawrence (1-0), while Lou Trivino earned his sixth save of the season, and the loss went to Buffalo pitcher Devereaux Harrison (3-5).
The IronPigs and Bisons play game four on Friday at 6:35 pm on the MLB App and Bally Sports Live. Lehigh Valley has yet to name a starter, while Richard Gallardo (3-4, 4.85 ERA) will be on the mound for Buffalo.
