4/10/12

Rochester 3, Buffalo 2

It took over 15 innings, but someone finally got to the Bisons bullpen.

Red Wings shortstop Brian Dozier hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Rochester a 3-2 comeback victory over the Herd on Monday night at Frontier Field. The loss snapped Buffalo's three-game win streak.

It took one of the hottest hitters in the International League to crack the Herd bullpen. Dozier has hit in every game for the Red Wings, and with two more knocks on Monday is averaging .474 to begin the season.

The Bisons bullpen entered the game with 14 shutout innings to begin the season. Protecting a 2-1 lead, lefty Chuck James made his Bisons debut with a scoreless frame in the sixth inning.

But with two outs in the seventh, Dylan Owen (1-1) walked Tsuyoshi Nishioka on seven pitches to bring Dozier to the plate. The shortstop hit a full-count pitch from Owen into deep left field to give the Red Wings the only lead they would need.

The Bisons had just five hits in the game, with three of them coming in a two-run third inning. Zach Lutz roped a two-out RBI double to give Buffalo the lead. Matt Tuiasosopo followed with a blooper into shallow right field that fell in to cash Lutz from second.

Garrett Olson started for Buffalo, but did not earn a decision. The southpaw allowed one run on four hits in five innings. He struck out four.

The Bisons will wrap up their season-opening roadtrip in Rochester tomorrow afternoon. The club will then return home for Wednesday's Home Opener against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (2:05 p.m.).

BISONS NOTES The last two Opening Day Bisons yet to get into a game played on Monday night. Michael Fisher got the start at second base and was 0-3 at the plate. Chuck James pitched an inning of shutout relief...All five Bisons games in 2012 have been decided by two runs or less. Buffalo was 37-37 in those games a season ago

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