The Bisons finally ended their losing streak tonight at Coca-Cola field defeating the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 7-6 with the help of a walk-off grand slam from center fielder Fernando Martinez. Martinez put an end to the Bisons longest losing streak of the season when he took a 1-2 offering from Iron Pigs pitcher Scott Mathieson deep to right and into the parking lot to give the Bisons a much needed victory. The walk-off grand slam was only the second in the history of Coca-Cola Field. The only other occurrence was when Marcos Scutaro hit one against Syracuse on August 2, 1999 to give the Herd a 7-3 win.
When the Iron Pigs scored early the Bisons were forced to play catch-up. Right fielder John Mayberry Jr. scored after first baseman Andy Tracy hit a double to left field to give Lehigh Valley an early advantage. After the Bisons tied the game in the fourth behind a double from catcher Josh Thole, the Iron Pigs surged ahead again in the sixth inning. Second baseman Melvin Dorta hit a two RBI double to center to give Lehigh Valley a 4-2 advantage. It did not take long for the Bisons to respond however as Thole hit a solo home run to pull the Herd to within one run. For the day Thole had one of his most productive seasons at the plate, going 3-3 with two doubles along with his solo shot.
The win now puts the Herd at 34-31 and the loss drops Lehigh Valley to 25-39.
BISONS NOTES: With his two doubles, Thole surpassed third baseman Mike Hessman for the team lead in doubles. Thole now has 18 on the season. The Bisons will end their four game series with the Iron Pigs tomorrow when right hander Dylan Owen (2-2, 6.11 ERA) takes on Lehigh Valley's left hander Joe Savey (1-6, 4.88 ERA) tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m.
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