WORCESTER, MA – The Buffalo Bisons gave up three runs in the first inning and were unable to dig themselves out of that hole, as they fell 5-3 to the Worcester Red Sox on Sunday afternoon at Polar Park.
Josh Rivera went three-for-three at the plate, hitting a double, a single, a homer, an RBI and a run.
Worcester kicked off the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Nate Eaton singled to center field to drive in Braiden Ward from third base. The Red Sox added insurance to their lead as Matt Lloyd drilled a two-RBI single to right-center field, giving Worcester a 3-0 lead.
Buffalo cut the lead to start the second inning thanks to Willie MacIver. MacIver smoked a solo shot to center field. The Bisons continued to chip away at the lead, as Carlos Mendoza hit an RBI double to left field, trimming the Red Sox’s lead to 3-2.
Worcester responded in the bottom of the inning. Vinny Capra hit a sac-fly to center field, allowing Tyler McDonough to score.
The Red Sox continued to add cushioning to their lead in the bottom of the fourth. Braiden Ward smoked a double to right field, scoring Tsung-Che Cheng from second base to give Worcester a 5-2 advantage.
After four scoreless innings from Buffalo, Rivera helped trim the lead in the top of the seventh inning. With two outs on a one-and-two count, Rivera blasted a solo homer to left field, making it a two-run game.
Buffalo and the Syracuse Mets are scheduled for a 6:35 p.m. pitch on Tuesday at Sahlen Field. It will be the first game of the series. Pregame coverage on The Bet 1520 AM, the Audacy app, and Bisons.com begins broadcast coverage at 6:15 p.m.