The Abilene Flying Bison (32-14) fall in another one-run affair as the squad splits the four-game series with the Sherman Shadowcats (17-27) after a 7-6 loss. After a strong first three innings, the Bison bats would go cold the remainder of the game and drop the series finale.
The Bison took the first two games of the series, but dropped game three on Saturday night, falling in a close one, 5-4. The loss snapped a seven-game win streak for the Bison, tying their
season best. The Bison entered the game still holding the number one spot atop the Mid- America League while the Shadowcats found themselves in the last spot in the rankings.
The right-handed pitcher Carson Priebe got the series finale start for the Bison on Sunday night. Zach Henry would take the mound for the Shadowcats. After a hitless first from Priebe, Samson Pugh and Junior Maldonado hit back-to-back singles that would reach into right field to get them to first and second. However, the two runners were left on the bags as the first came to a close.
Tyler Garritano recorded a hit in the second inning and Matt Brandt followed him right up with a single into left field. Garritano reached third off the hit and Brandt made his way to second off the Sherman throw. It would be Jack Cue to deliver the first Bison run of the game as the center fielder would crank one deep enough into the outfield for a SAC fly and allow Garritano to make the tag and come home.
In the top of the third, the Shadowcats responded with two outs and hit a 2 RBI double into the right field gap to clear the bases and put Sherman up 2-1. One batter later, a ball hit into no man’s land that stayed just fair on the right field line brought home another run for the Shadowcats to extend the lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Drew Detlefsen would crank a deep double into left field to put the first runner on for the Bison. Josh Overbeek delivered and hit a ball perfectly down the first base line for an RBI double and Garritano made his way on the bags after a Sherman error. Matt Brandt tied up the game on an RBI double into left field and for the second time in three innings, Cue would bring home a run on a SAC fly to give Abilene the lead.
The Bison weren’t done however, as they would plate two more in the inning off back-to-back RBIs from Cooper Markle and Gianni Horvat with Markle recording an RBI double and Horvat grabbing an RBI single. All nine batters saw the plate in the third, and the frame would end with the Bison now holding a 6-3 lead after the five-spot in the inning. After a scoreless fourth and fifth, the Shadowcats put runners on first and second in the sixth inning. With two outs, a high flyball would drop right past the infield and allow both runners to score and cut into the Bison lead. For the Bison, things had slowed down after the third inning as the team failed to put a runner on base for a full-time through the batting order.
In the top of the seventh, Sherman would retake the lead scoring two more runs to make it a 7-6 game. Detlefesen got on the bags after an error from the Shadowcats in which the Sherman catcher dropped a routine infield pop fly. Yet for the fourth straight inning, the Bison would go out hitless.
Austin Smith recorded three straight K’s in the top of the eighth and Brandt dropped a single into shallow right-center to lead off the bottom of the inning for the Bison. However, that would be all the action in the inning for the Bison as the team had one more shot in the ninth to take the series.
Pugh made his way to first to lead off the ninth after the Sherman error, and a SAC bunt from Maldonado put down the third base line advanced Pugh into scoring position. However, the team failed to bring him home as Sherman closed things out and took the 7-6 victory.
After nine hits through the first three innings, the Bison grab only one hit for the remainder of the game and drop its second straight one-run loss game, splitting the series with the Shadowcats. Brandt finished with three hits on the night as well as a run scored and an RBI. Seven other Bison batters finished with a hit and Cue held 2 RBI. Priebe ended the game with 5.0 IP and allowed only three runs while striking out nine batters.
Abilene gets a fortunate two days off before heading on the road to take on the Fort Smith Marshals, where they will look to regroup in a two-game set on Wednesday and Thursday. The team will then turn around and be back at home to host the Shadowcats once again for a three-game series starting on Friday night.
