BUFFALO, NY (July 7, 2026) – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders hammered the Buffalo Bisons 18-3 Tuesday night at Sahlen Field. The RailRiders combined to hit six home runs en route to a season-best 18 runs on 17 hits in the series opener.
Tyler Hardman staked Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to a 2-0 lead in the second with an opposite-field homer off Buffalo starter Richard Gallardo. The 368-foot shot to right was his sixth of the season with the RailRiders.
The Bisons cut into the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lead with a bases-loaded walk by Davis Schneider in the bottom of the third.
The RailRiders added a pair in the top of the fourth on a sac fly from Ernesto Martínez Jr. and a run-scoring groundout from Jonathan Ornelas for a 4-1 edge.
Hardman led off the sixth with his second home run of the night, a 361-foot drive to right. After Martínez Jr. worked a walk, Duke Ellis hit the tenth pitch of his at-bat over the wall in right to extend the lead to 7-1 before an RBI groundout added an additional tally.
Oswaldo Cabrera hit solo homers in the seventh and eighth innings for a 10-1 lead. Davis Schneider countered with a two-run homer to cut the deficit to seven after eight innings.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre sent 11 to the plate in the ninth, adding eight runs on seven hits, keyed by three-straight RBI singles and capped by a grand slam from Martínez Jr. off catcher William Simoneit.
Eric Reyzelman (1-1) earned the win for the RailRiders in a bullpen game while Gallardo (0-2) took the loss for the Bisons.
Six of nine hitters had multi-hit nights, eight drove in at least one run, and all nine reached base. Martínez Jr. drove in five, Hardman plated four, and Cabrera added three runs batted in.
The RailRiders and Bisons meet again on Wednesday with Alexander Cornielle getting the start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against Buffalo and Max Scherzer on an MLB Rehab Assignment. First pitch in game two of the six-game series is slated for 6:35 P.M.