Five Buffalo pitchers combined on a four-hitter Saturday night as the Bisons rolled past the Rochester Red Wings, 7-1, at Sahlen Field.
Reliever Hayden Juenger was the opener and set a good tone with three strong innings for the Bisons, allowing two hits. The win went to Paul Fry, the third Herd pitcher. He threw 1 2/3 innings and struck out three to improve to 4-2.
The Buffalo staff combined for nine strikeouts and only two walks, and the lone Rochester run was an unearned tally in the eighth as Buffalo improved to 23-19 in the second half of the season.
The Thruway rivals stage their final meeting of the season Sunday afternoon at 1:05 (WNYO, Radio 1520 AM).
The Bisons got the only runs they would need in a two-run first, scoring on shortstop Ernie Clement’s RBI double to left and Addison Barger’s single to right that scored Clement later in the inning.
The Herd broke the game open with a four-run seventh, highlighted by Rafael Lantigua’s 10th home run of the season. The two-run shot to left pushed Buffalo’s lead to 4-0 and the Bisons scored later in the inning on Orelvis Martinez’s sacrifice fly to the fence in deep right-center and Tanner Morris’ RBI single to right. Tyler Heineman’s sacrifice fly to left in the eighth closed Buffalo’s scoring.
A crowd of 9,567 was on hand for Hockey Night with the Bisons. The Herd wore blue and gold Sabres-style jerseys for the game and Sabres Hall of Famer Danny Gare threw the ceremonial first pitch. The Sabres’ goal horn was used to celebrate Lantigua’s home run and the game’s final out.
The Bisons honored late Sabres broadcaster Rick Jeanneret with a pregame video presentation and audio/video clips of some of his famous goal calls were played between innings The team also painted “RJ” in bright white letters behind home plate as a tribute.
Shortstop Clement — a suburban Rochester native who is a Bills and Sabres fan — tapped the letters with his bat before his first two plate appearances.
