BY JONATHAN SKUZA
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A four-run sixth inning from the Buffalo Bisons (28-23, 63-63) was the difference maker, as the Rochester Red Wings (31-21, 76-49) fell 6-3 Tuesday evening.
”A tough night in the sixth inning,” Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy said. “We didn’t get much going offensively.”
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After Rochester tied the game at two in the fifth inning, Buffalo responded with their four run sixth inning. The Bisons loaded the bases with no outs and cleared them before their half of the sixth ended. Rochester gave up three walks, one hit, and a fielding error before recording an out on a double play that scored the fourth run of the frame.
”The thing about Buffalo that makes them unique, is their ability to only swing at strikes,” LeCroy said. “They make you work, so have to throw the ball over the plate, but they have the ability to foul pitches off. They’ve always been that way ever since I started managing in Rochester.”
Rochester played from behind from the first inning when Buffalo pushed across two on a walk and two hits. The second Bison run scored on a groundout.
Rochester’s offense got off to a slow start as they collected one base hit in the first four innings of Tuesday’s contest. The lone hit came from Seaver King who led off the first inning with a single. King would get caught up in a double play the very next at-bat as the next 11 Red Wings’ batters would go down in order after the leadoff base hit.
“We had a lot of early contact,” LeCroy said. “We didn’t get anything going. We’ve been good the last three weeks with our offense, and it was just a little stale tonight.”
Rochester’s offense got a small spark in the fifth as Trey Lipscomb launched his 28th long ball to leadoff the inning to cut the two run deficit in half. Cayden Wallace would double after and would later be driven in by Sam Petersen on a groundout.
Lipscomb extended two streaks with his fifth inning long ball. He extended his personal hitting streak to 20 contests. He also extended the team’s home run streak to 18 straight contests to break a franchise record previous held by the 2019 Red Wings team.
”He’s been unbelievable this year,” LeCroy said on Lipscomb year. “I’m proud of him and the adjustments he made. He sure has had a great year.”
”They’ve stuck to their playing approach,” LeCroy said about the home run streak. “We’ve got some guys who have the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark, but we need to be able to shrink the strike zone, and we’ve been able to do that. We have hit homers all over the place.”
Wallace made it interesting in the ninth with an RBI base hit that scored Yohandy Morales to pull the Red Wings within three.
Rochester finds themselves in a similar position as they are in the midst of battling for a playoff spot, much like they were in the first half of the 2026 campaign. The Red Wings hold one of the best records overall in Triple-A this season and hope to seal the deal in the second half and secure their first playoff berth in over a decade.
“You have to win every series,” LeCroy said. “For us, you’re fighting a bunch of clubs that you don’t get to play except for Scranton, and we have to find a way to win as many games as we can. That’s the fun part though. Every game matters and that’s the part of development I love. These guys are getting to play meaningful baseball down the stretch.”
The Red Wings and Bisons will continue their series on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. as Rochester’s starter is to be announced while righty Josh Stephan (0-2, 6.00) will take the mound for Buffalo.
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