LAWRENCEVILLE -- The Buffalo Bisons left town showing the Gwinnett Braves that they'll have to do more to take over first place.
The Bisons took an early lead and made it stick in a 7‐5 win over Gwinnett on Friday night at Gwinnett Stadium in Lawrenceville.
The G-Braves took two of four games against the Bisons (needing just one more win to take over first place in the International League's South Division) -- but Gwinnett couldn't find a way to pick up that key win in the last two contests.
The Bisons improved to 26‐45, while the G‐Braves dropped to 41‐35 on the season. The two teams combined for 28 hits in a contest that lasted three hours and 14 minutes.
Bisons center fielder Cory Sullivan led off the game with a double down the right‐field line. Sullivan thenvscored on Emil Brown’s single to left field for the 1‐0 lead.
Buffalo scored again in the fifth inning to extend its lead to 2‐0. Chip Ambres grounded into a force out for thevinning’s second out but Bisons starting pitcher Nelson Figueroa came into score. Figueroa reached base on a single to center.
In the sixth inning, Javier Castillo hit a one‐out home run to extend the Bisons lead. Castillo’s fourth home run of the season made it a 3‐0 game.
Gwinnett scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to get on the board. Brandon Jones started the charge with a single to right field. Jones then scored on an infield single from J.C. Holt to make it a 3‐1 game.
But the Bisons came right back and scored another run in the top of the seventh inning to extend the lead to 4‐1. For the second time on Friday night, Brown singled home Sullivan, this time with a single to center.
Gwinnett battled to keep it close and scored again in the bottom of the seventh. Jones singled home Wes Timmons to make it a 4‐2 game.
Buffalo broke the game open in the top of the eighth. The Bisons scored three times in the inning, including a two‐run double from Jesus Feliciano. Feliciano’s two‐run, two‐bagger extended the Bisons’ lead to 7‐2.
The G‐Braves started a rally in the bottom of the ninth and matched the Bisons three ninth‐inning runs, but fell just short of the comeback. Timmons, who led off the frame with a walk, advanced to second base on defensive indifference and later came in to score on Greg Norton’s RBI‐single. Norton was then plated on a Brooks Conrad double, and Conrad scored on Jones groundout. Conrad’s run made it a 7‐5 game.
Gwinnett starter John Halama made his first quality start in three tries with the G‐Braves. Halama was charged with just three earned runs in six innings but allowed 10 hits in the loss. Halama is now 0‐1 with a 2.70 ERA.
Wes Timmons was 0‐for‐3 but drew a pair of walks to extend his on‐base streak to 23 games. Greg Norton, Brandon Jones, Chris Burke and J.C. Holt each collected a pair of hits in the loss.
Figueroa allowed one earned run in six innings to earn his third win of the season. Figueroa is now 3‐4 with a 2.61 ERA. Buffalo reliever Eddie Kunz came on in the ninth for the final two outs to pick up his first save of the
season.
Sullivan was 4‐for‐5 and scored three times on Friday to lead the Bisons’ offense. Javier Castillo was 3‐for‐4 with a home run.
Gwinnett welcomes the Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds) to Gwinnett Stadium on Saturday night. The G‐Braves will send RHP Tony Armas (1‐1, 4.17 ERA) to face Louisville LHP Ben Jukich (4‐4, 5.94 ERA). First pitch in the series opener is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
