The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (45-44) played game four of a six-game series on Friday night against the Buffalo Bisons (41-49) from Coca-Cola Park. Lehigh Vally pitcher David Parkinson (1-4, 5.96 ERA) was on the mound against Buffalo’s Aaron Sanchez (2-6, 10.45 ERA).
The game was scoreless in the first two innings until the bottom of the third inning. Lehigh Valley third baseman Buddy Kennedy hit Sanchez’s changeup for a solo home run clearing the wall at left field for a 1-0 lead with one out. The home run went 365 feet with an exit velocity of 105.3 mph. It was Kennedy’s ninth home run of the season and 32nd RBI of the year. Lehigh Valley did not add any more runs in the inning.
At the top of the fifth inning, Buffalo had the bases loaded with nobody out when center fielder Cam Eden grounded toward shortstop Scott Kingery. He tagged Max McDowell out before throwing the ball to first baseman Darick Hall to complete the double play while Will Robertson scored and the game was tied 1-1. Two batters later, Parkinson struck out Addison Barger to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Lehigh Valley had runners on first and second base with two outs when left fielder Kody Clemens hit an RBI single to center field scoring Jim Haley giving the IronPigs a 2-1 lead. It was Clemens’s 21st RBI of the season.
Two batters later, the bases were loaded for first baseman Darick Hall. He worked a four-pitch walk forcing in a run which was scored by Aramis Garcia making it 3-1 Lehigh Valley. Lehigh Valley right fielder Carlos De La Cruz struck out swinging and the inning was over.
Lehigh Valley pitcher David Parkinson (6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 4 K) threw 87 pitches, of which 50 were strikes. Zach Haake was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley at the top of the seventh inning. Haake (1.0 IP, 3 K) threw 18 pitches, of which 14 were strikes to get three outs.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Lehigh Valley had a runner on third base with one out when left fielder Kody Clemens brought Jim Haley home with a sacrifice fly to center field. The score was now 4-1 Lehigh Valley. It was Clemens’s 22nd RBI of the year. Lehigh Valley third baseman Budd Kennedy struck out swinging to end the inning.
Zach Haake (2.0 IP, 1 BB, 4 K) threw 42 pitches, of which 28 were strikes. Tyler Gilbert was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley at the top of the ninth inning. Buffalo third baseman Damiano Palmegiani hit Gilbert’s fastball for a solo home run over the wall at left field and the score was now 4-2 Lehigh Valley. Gilbert (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 K) threw 13 pitches, of which 9 were strikes to get the final three outs of the game.
The IronPigs defeated the Bisons by the final score of 4-2. Lehigh Valley leads the series three games to one. They finished the night with 10 hits. The win went to Lehigh Valley pitcher David Parkinson for his second win of the season, and Tyler Gilbert earned his fifth save of the season. The loss went to Buffalo pitcher Yimi García.
The IronPigs and Bisons play game five on Saturday at 6:35 pm on MiLB.TV. Purchase IronPigs tickets for the 2024 season today on StubHub and Viagogo. Also, pick up IronPigs merchandise today at Rally House.
