Brian Bixler hit a sacrifice fly in the 12th inning to give the Syracuse Chiefs (41-53), the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, a 4-3 walkoff win over the Buffalo Bisons (41-55) Tuesday at Alliance Bank Stadium. Chien-Ming Wang made his first rehab start for the Chiefs, pitching five and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.
The Bisonsgot started early in the game. Buffalo's second batter, Jesus Feliciano, touched up Wang early with a solo blast over the right field wall. The Chiefs pitcher then hit Zach Lutz in the head with a pitch but recovered to strike out the next two Bisons to end the inning.
Buffalo starter Dylan Owen struck out Syracuse in order in the first, but the Chiefs stormed back in the second. After a Chris Marrero leadoff walk, Tug Hulett blooped a single to left. Matt Antonelli moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt, and Carlos Maldonado brought both home with a double to the right field corner.
The 2-1 Syracuse lead did not last long, though, as Buffalo charged ahead in the third. Feliciano started the frame with a single just out of the reach of second baseman Steve Lombardozzi and moved to second on Valentino Pascucci's scorching single up the middle two batters later. Jason Botts then ripped a double to left that scored Feliciano and put Pascucci at third. One batter later, Luis Hernandez knocked in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to center field. Wang held Buffalo scoreless the rest of the way thanks to some help from center fielder Corey Brown in the fourth.
Bisons' catcher Raul Chavez started the inning with a single and advanced to third on a consecutive groundouts. Feliciano appeared to have his second RBI in the next at-bat, but Brown laid out at full speed to make a backhanded catch in right center that kept the score at 3-2. Wang exited after registering the first two outs of the sixth. He gave up seven hits and the three runs, walked one and struck out four in what would become a no-decision start. But his counterpart, Owen, was just as good for the Bisons. He held the Chiefs to just one hit after that two-run second inning and left the game after the sixth with his team clinging to the 3-2 lead.
The Buffalo righty gave up just four hits and two runs, walked four and struck out five.
After Owen's departure, though, Syracuse put together a rally in the seventh. The Chiefs got a pinch-hit single from Seth Bynum, a bunt single from Lombardozzi and a walk by Brian Bixler to load the bases with one out against Bisons reliever Michael O'Connor. Jose De La Torre took over on the mound to limit the damage, but Jesus Valdez blasted a sacrifice fly to deep center field that knotted the game at 3-3. De La Torre then walked Marrero to reload the bases, but Hulett stranded the runners with a groundout to second. Buffalo looked like they may retake the lead in the eighth, but Collin Balester got out of a little trouble. Pascucci and Botts started with back-to-back singles before Balester sat down Hernandez on strikes. Bubba Bell then hit a slow grounder to Lombardozzi at second. He flipped to Bynum, who turned the inning-ending double play that kept the score tied at 3-3.
Through the next four innings, the Chiefs stranded eight baserunners as they couldn't capitalize on multiple opportunities through the eleventh. But they finally brought one home in the 12th. Bynum cracked a one-out double to leftfield and advanced to third on a wild pitch from Brian Sweeney. Two batters later, Bixler blasted a fly ball to left. Botts made the catch just in front of the warning track and didn't even make a throw home as Bynum made the Chiefs walk-off winners.
The teams will play two
seven-inning games Wednesday. Yunesky Maya will pitch the first game for the Chiefs against Buffalo righty Miguel Batista. Righthander J.D. martin will then take over for the second contest against lefty Gustavo Chacin.
**Courtesy Syracuse Chiefs**
