RailRiders Foil Bisons on Fan Appreciation Night, 5-1

September 20, 2024 – International League (IL)
Buffalo Bisons News Release

With great weather, giveaways every inning and one last amazing fireworks show, the Bisons Fan Appreciation Night had almost everything the team and its fans could’ve hoped for. Unfortunately, an old friend wearing RailRider blue prevented the Herd from making its final evening game of the season a perfect night.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre starter Thomas Pannone held the Bisons in check for 6.1 innings and T.J. Rumfield homered for the second straight night as the RailRiders defeated Buffalo, 5-1, in front of a crowd of 11,305 on Friday night at Sahlen Field. The Bisons now have just two afternoon games left in the season, on Saturday and Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

A former Blue Jays prospect who made his Triple-A debut with Buffalo in 2018, Pannone was in complete control against his former club. The southpaw allowed just a run on six hits without issuing a single free pass. Pannone worked slowly and efficiently, collecting four strikeouts in picking up his 10th win of the season.

Pannone retired the first six batters he faced and also faced the minimum in both the fourth and sixth innings. He worked three batters into the seventh inning, but gave way to reliever Joey Gerber when Payton Henry and Will Robertson led off the frame with hits. Gerber kept Pannone’s fantastic pitching line in check when he induced Herd catcher Nick Raposo to hit into an inning-ending doubleplay.

The Bisons player who had the best success against Pannone on the night was the newest member of the Herd. Twenty-two-year-old outfielder Braden Barry had never played above the Single-A level before Friday night, but got the promotion as Buffalo placed 2024 Team Most Valuable Player Alan Roden on the injured list before the game. The Blue Jays eighth round pick in 2023 delivered a pair of hits, including a ground-rule double in his first at-bat that delivered the Bisons lone run of the game.

By then, the RailRiders already had a 2-0 lead that they increased to 3-1 in the fourth on Oscar Gonzalez’s RBI-single off Paxton Schultz. Rumfield then greeted Mason Fluharty in the sixth inning with his 15th home run of the season, a solo shot into the Herd bullpen in right centerfield. Rumfield led off the ninth with another hit and scored on an RBI-single from Taylor Trammell to complete the 5-1 score.

Bisons 2024 Most Valuable Pitcher Andrew Bash started the bullpen game by retiring all six batters he faced. Schultz took the loss with…