Bisons split doubleheader against Railriders
- Victor Menendez
- 17 hours ago
- 6 min read
By: Ryan Oleksyn / Sports Writer
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Buffalo Bisons split the doubleheader against the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Sunday. Buffalo lost the first game but battled back and took the second game to secure their first win of the 2026 season.
“You can't throw guys back to back sometimes.” said Bisons manager Casey Candaele when discussing the realities of playing doubleheaders in Triple-A. “You have limitations on what guys can throw, so you get stuck in games that last long.”
Game 1
To begin the ballgame, the RailRiders were able to reach base early as leftfielder Jasson Dominguez poked a single to shallow leftfield. He was able to advance to second base on an error by Buffalo starter Chad Dallas.
But with a runner in scoring position and no outs, the RailRiders were unable to score as the two through four hitters were all retired.
Buffalo would not earn their first baserunner until third baseman Charles Mcadoo would line a hard hit double down the left field line. But with a runner at second and two down, RailRiders starter Carlos Lagrange would force a flyout from Buffalo catcher Brandon Valenzuela to end the inning.
In the third inning, Scranton Wilkes-Barre began to threaten by having runners at first and second. Centerfield Spencer Jones lined a single through the shortstop third base hole and earned his second R.B.I. of the season. The RailRiders now lead 1-0 with runners at second and third.
Chad Dallas was able to escape the inning by limiting the damage to just one run with an inning-ending strikeout of Max Schuemann.
In the bottom half, Buffalo's 11-inning shutout streak was over. With runners at the corners and one down, Centerfielder Jonathan Clase delivered an RBI lineout to right field. It was his first RBI of the season, and the Bisons were now tied up with the RailRiders at one a piece.
To start the fourth, the Railriders ' first baseman, Erestro Martinez Jr., lined a double down the right field line. He would then steal third base and score on a wild pitch with two outs in the inning. Scranton Wilkes-Barre now led 2-1 over Buffalo.
A few batters later, the RailRiders would cash in once again. With runners at the corners and still two away, Jasson Dominguez would hit a ball towards the deep left side of shortstop and leg out an R.B.I infield single. It extended Scranton Wilkes-Barre's lead to 3-1, and it was Dominguez’s second R.B.I of the season.
Dominguez was a high-ranking prospect in the Yankee organization for several years before he spent all of last year in the majors with New York, where he appeared in 123 games. He was optioned to Scranton Wilkes-Barre on March 20th as he attempts to enhance his defensive abilities and sharpen his numbers from both sides of the plate.
It would not be until the bottom of the fifth that we saw the next scoring opportunity. With the bases loaded and Johnathan Clase at the plate with one out, Clase would line a ball just past RailRiders first baseman Ernesto Martinez and tie the game at 3-3. It was Clase's second R.B.I. of the season as the Bisons still had second and third with one down.
Soon after, with the bases loaded and two outs, Eloy Jimenez stepped in for Buffalo but flew out to left field to end the inning. After five innings of play, Scranton Wilkes-Barre and Buffalo were all tied up at 3.
We would remain tied until the top of the ninth inning, where Jasson Dominguez delivered once again for Scranton Wilkes-Barre. He recorded his third hit of the ballgame and his 3rd R.B.I. of the season. The RailRiders now led 4-3 going into the bottom of the ninth.
In the bottom half, Buffalo needed at least one to stay alive, and they were successful. It was Brandon Valenzuela coming up clutch with the game-tying R.B.I single to score Mcadoo. It was Valenzuela's first R.B.I of the season, and just like that, the two sides were all noted up at 4.
The Bisons would then be retired to end the frame and advance this scheduled 7-inning game to the 10th inning.
In the top of the 10th, Scranton Wilkes-Barre would capitalize thanks to second baseman Max Schuemann quickly roping a blistering double off the left field wall. It gave The RailRiders the lead right back to 5-4 and earned him his second R.B.I of the season.
The game would enter the bottom of the 10th inning, where once again Buffalo would be in search of at least one run.
This time it came down to a runner at third and two away as Rj Schreck would step in the box, and ground out to second base and clinch the 5-4 win for Scranton Wilkes-Barre.
Pitcher Yovanny Cruz earned his first win of the season, Danny Watson earned his first save of the season, and the loss went to Jorge Alcala.
Game 2
After taking the first game in this doubleheader, Scranton Wilkes-Barre would jump on Bisons starter Austin Voth quickly in the first.
RailRiders centerfielder Spencer Jones launched a 397-foot home run into the bullpen. This was Jones' first homer of the season and his third R.B.I of the season, as it gave Scranton Wilkes-Barre an early 1-0 lead.
Later in the second, Scranton Wilkes-Barre would add once again. This time, it was Yanquiel Fernandez homering straight away to center field off the batter's eye.
The 427 footer was his second home run of the season and his second R.B.I of the season. The RailRiders now led 2-0.
The bisons were still in search of their first run in game 2 until the third inning. With runners at the corners, Jonatan Clase would score from third base by virtue of a wild pitch to the backstop by RailRiders starter Dom Hamel. The Bisons now trailed only by one run as the score stood at 2-1 after 3 innings of play.
In the bottom of the next frame, Buffalo would strike again. After multiple runners reached base, the Bisons would score by a wild pitch, and then left fielder Carlos Mendoza would earn his first R.B.I of the season via a sacrifice fly.
Just a few batters later, the first baseman for the Bisons, Riley Tirotta, would step into the box with two out and the bases loaded.
On the first pitch seen by him, Tirotta drilled a single up the middle to centerfield to extend the Buffalo lead to 5-2. It was Triotta's first two R.B.I s of the 2026 season.
Even with the pitching change, the Bisons continued to add. An overthrow by RailRiders catcher Payton Henry allowed for both runners to advance to second and home. Buffalo now held a 6-2 lead.
When it rains, it pours because once again, with two outs, the Bisons tallied their seventh run of the ballgame thanks to an R.B.I. single to shallow left field by designated hitter Josh Kasevich.
It was Kasevich's first R.B.I of the season, and Buffalo now took a commanding 7-2 lead over Scranton Wilkes-Barre after four innings of play.
In the top half of the fifth, Payton Henry would lead off the inning by smoking a double down the left field line. With one out and Henry at third, third baseman Jonathan Ornelas would earn his first R.B.I of the season by grounding out and allowing Henry to score from third.
Buffalo now only led Scranton Wilkes-Barre 7-3 after four and a half innings.
The score would remain the same to the top of the seventh, and with Scranton Wilkes-Barre down to their final out, the final RailRider was retired, and Buffalo secured the 7-3 win and earned their first win of the season.
“It was our first win of the season, so it was big,” said Candaele when asked if winning the second half of a split feels sweeter. “It was big to avoid the sweep against a good team.”
Pitcher Devereaux Harrison received the win for Buffalo, and the loss was given to RailRiders pitcher Dom Hamel.
The Bisons' next game will be Tuesday night in Omaha against the Storm Chasers. First pitch is set for 7:35 p.m., and both starting pitchers are still to be determined.