Weston Wilson capped a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning with a two-run homer Wednesday to give the Lehigh Valley IronPigs an 11-9 victory over the visiting Buffalo Bisons.
The teams will play Game 3 of their series at 6:45 p.m. Thursday.
The Bisons (22-25) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Rafael Lantigua walked and scored on Davis Schneider’s one-out, two-run home run to center field. It was Schneider’s ninth homer of the season.
The IronPigs (23-23) cut the lead to 2-1 in the second when Wilson walked, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Bisons catcher Tyler Heineman. Wilson scored on a ground out by Jordan Qsar.
In the fourth, Buffalo put up three runs for a 5-1 lead. Wynton Bernard and Otto Lopez singled before Heineman singled home Bernard. With one out, Lantigua walked to load the bases. Tanner Morris grounded into a force out, but beat the throw to first as Lopez scored. With runners at first and third, Morris moved to second on a passed ball, then Heineman scored on a wild pitch by Lehigh Valley pitcher Michael Plassmeyer.
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The IronPigs scored twice in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Esteban Quiroz doubled to right field. With two outs, Quiroz scored on Jake Cave’s two-run home run to right field.
Buffalo got two runs back in the top of the sixth. Lopez singled and Rob Brantly walked to put runners at first and second. After Cam Eden grounded into a double play, putting Lopez on third, Lantigua walked. Morris singled to left to score Lopez, and Schneider walked to load the bases. Lopez then stole home for a 7-3 lead.
The Herd had a chance to do more damage after a wild pitch by Lehigh Valley pitcher Taylor Lehman put runners at second and third, but after a walk by Spencer Horwitz loaded the bases, Luis De Los Santos lined out off reliever Trey Cobb to end the inning.
The IronPigs trimmed the lead to 7-4 in the bottom of the inning. Drew Ellis walked and, with two outs, advanced to second on a balk by Bisons starter Casey Lawrence. Ellis scored when Jhailyn Ortiz reached on an error by Lopez in left field.
In the bottom of the seventh, Lehigh Valley scored four times to take the lead.
Quiroz walked and went to third on a double by Aramis Garcia. With one out, the Bisons brought on reliever Paul Fry, who surrendered a single to Sam Muzziotti to score Quiroz. Ellis singled in Garcia, and both runners moved up a base on a fielding error by Lopez. Wilson singled in Muzziotti and Ellis for an 8-7 lead.
Buffalo came back to regain the lead in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Horwitz and RBI double by Bernard.
But in the bottom of the ninth, Ellis had an RBI single to set the stage for Wilson.
