Click here to subscribe today or Login.
By VAN ROSE [email protected]
Saturday, August 03, 2002 Page: 1B
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Bruce Aven came back to haunt his former teammates Friday
night, and it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time for the Red
Barons.
Aven smacked a solo home run in the ninth inning – a towering blast over
the left-center field fence – propelling Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to a 4-3
come-from-behind victory over Buffalo before 16,284 fans at Dunn Tire Park on
Friday night.
The win snapped the Red Barons’ three-game losing streak against Buffalo
and kept them in first place in the Northern Division of the International
League, 1 1/2 games ahead of the red-hot Bisons.
“This was definitely a big, big win for us,” Aven said. “You don’t want
to overstate the importance of one game, because this wasn’t sudden death. We
still have a month of baseball left to play.
“But to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a game that means so much in the
standings is a good feeling. Buffalo is playing extremely well right now, and
it seems like they’re capitalizing on every break.”
Aven hit his home run against Buffalo reliever Dave Maurer, who left a
slider up and over the plate.
“I knew I hit the ball well, but I didn’t know if it was going out,” Aven
said. “It looked like it might, then it just seemed to jump out of the
ballpark.”
Aven said the Red Barons very easily could have gained a split in the
four-game series, but the Bisons got a few extra breaks. “They’ve had a lot
of things go their way in the last three games. Tonight, they went our way.”
Buffalo drew first blood.
The heavy-hitting Bisons played small ball to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom
of the fifth inning. Jody Gerut led off with a walk and Zach Sorensen followed
with a bunt single off Red Barons’ starter Eric Junge.
Brandon Phillips then grounded out, but hit the ball down the first base
side, enabling both runners to advance.
Chris Coste, the third-leading hitter in the IL with a .332 average,
followed with a two-run line drive single to center field.
Buffalo extended the lead to 3-0 in the sixth inning when Todd Dunwoody led
off with a double and later scored on a two-out single by Sorensen.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre staged a two-out rally in the top of the seventh to
draw within 3-2. Aven singled and David Doster slammed a ground-rule double
that bounced over the right-center field fence.
The brought up the Red Barons’ hottest hitter, Eric Valent, who smashed a
two-run double.
The Red Barons tied the score at 3-3 in the eighth. J.P. Roberge doubled
into the right-field gap, and later scored on a Nick Punto single.
Starter Junge turned in a solid effort, limiting Buffalo to three runs in
seven innings of work. The Red Barons bullpen slammed the door, as Hector
Mercado and Jose Santiago combined for two innings of shutout ball to preserve
the victory.
“Eric pitched a good game and our bullpen was outstanding,” Red Barons
manager Marc Bombard said.
The Bisons got a strong effort from starter Billy Traber, who had a
no-hitter working for five innings. Roberge broke it up with a leadoff single
in the sixth.
Prior to Friday’s game, the Bisons had beaten the Red Barons five
consecutive times, trimming their lead from 6 1/2 games to 1/2 game in the
past 11 days.
“We showed a lot of character tonight,” Bombard said. “They could have
folded their tent, down 3-0 in the early going. But they battled back and
pulled the game out.”
HOW THEY SCORED
BISONS FIFTH: Jody Gerut walked. Zach Sorensen hit a bunt single. Brandon
Phillips grounded out, advancing the runners. Chris Coste singled in Gerut and
Sorensen. Karim Garcia singled. Earl Snyder grounded out, advancing the
runners. Ben Broussard flied out. Bisons 2, Red Barons 0.
BISONS SIXTH: Todd Dunwoody doubled. Josh Bard fouled out. Gerut grounded
out. Sorensen singled in Dunwoody. Phillips grounded out. Bisons 3, Red Barons
0.
RED BARONS SEVENTH: Jason Knupfer struck out. Chase Utley grounded out.
Bruce Aven singled. David Doster hit a ground-rule double. Eric Valent doubled
in Aven and Doster. Johnny Estrada flied out. Bisons 3, Red Barons 2.
RED BARONS EIGHTH: J.P. Roberge doubled. Kenny Woods hit a sacrifice bunt,
moving Roberge to third. Nick Punto singled in Roberge. Knupfer fouled out.
Punto was caught stealing. Red Barons 3, Bisons 3.
RED BARONS NINTH: Utley struck out. Aven homered. Doster popped up. Valent
walked. Estrada flied out. Red Barons 4, Bisons 3.