BISONS:
Jesus Feliciano, CF
Justin Turner, 2B
Mike Jacobs, DH
Mike Hessman, 3B
Mike Cervenak, LF
Russ Adams, RF
Val Pascucci, 1B
Andy Green, SS
JR House, C

LHP: Pat Misch

TIDES:
Matt Angle, CF
Robert Andino, SS
Jeff Salazar, RF
Nolan Reimold, LF
Rhyne Hughes, DH
Brandon Snyder, 1B
Paco Figueroa, 3B
Michel Hernandez, C
Blake Davis, 2B

LHP: Chris George

The Herd continued their dominance at the home of the IL South’s Tides with a 12-9 victory on Saturday night. Buffalo pounded out 22 hits, including five each from Jesus Feliciano and Mike Jacobs, for their second straight victory over Norfolk.

With the victory, the Bisons improved to an amazing 34-16 all-time at Harbor Park -good for a ******** .680 winning percentage. The team has lost just one of 12 series in Norfolk and Saturday’s win ensured them of at last a split of this year’s four-game set.

After scoring 11 in the series opener on Friday, the Bisons offense wasted no time getting back on the board a night later. Feliciano collected two of his five hits for the game in the first inning as the Herd brought six runs home. Jacobs, Mike Hessman, Mike Cervenak, Andy Green, J.R. House and Feliciano all drove in runs in the frame.

As the Tides fought back, Jacobs kept the Bisons one step ahead. He singled and scored in the second inning and then doubled in former-Tide Justin Turner in the sixth. Still, Norfolk closed the early lead with two in the fifth and three more in the sixth to make 8-7 Buffalo.

That’s as close as it would get, however, as Feliciano and Jacobs went back to work in the ninth inning. After another RBI-hit from House, Feliciano singled through the left side to help Buffalo load the bases. Jacobs then tripled home three when he lined one past centerfielder Matt Angle.

Feliciano finished the game 5-6 with two runs scored and an RBI. Jacobs was 5-6 with two runs scored and five RBI.

After not having a five-hit game from a player in almost five years, the Bisons have had three five-hit performances in the last week. Feliciano also had five hits on Sunday against Toledo.

The win for Buffalo went to Dylan Owen (2-1). He allowed six runs in five innings.

BISONS NOTES The Bisons are now 6-2 in their last eight road games. The stretch has pulled them to an even .500 (13-13) on the road this season…The two squads combined for 37 hits as the Tides also had 15 knocks…Jacobs has now averaged .472 (17-36) in his nine starts as the team’s designated hitter…After playing for three hours and 29 minute on Friday night, Saturday’s nine-inning marathon lasted three hours and 49 minutes. It’s the longest nine-inning game in the team’s modern era.

Following Stephen Strasburg mania in Buffalo yesterday, the Bisons embarked on a two-city eight-game road trip and started it off in style in Norfolk with a 11-6 victory at the hands of the Norfolk Tides at Harbor Park.

After surrendering a six-run lead, the Bisons headed into the ninth inning tied at six. But Buffalo blew the game open in the ninth, plating five runs on three hits. The big hit came on a bases loaded double off the bat of Valentino Pascucci, which cleared the bases.

The Bisons took a 6-0 lead after four innings of play. After going hitless over the first two innings, the Bisons bats came alive for six runs on six hits over innings three and four. The Herd was helped by back-to-back-to-back RBI singles in the third frame from Justin Turner, Mike Jacobs and Mike Hessman.

However, the Tides came right back to combine for six runs on eight hits over innings five, six, and seven, including a solo homer from Brandon Snyder.

Tobi Stoner had a strong outing, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits through six innings of work. He was in line for the win when he was removed from the game, but reliever Bobby Parnell surrendered three runs in the seventh inning as Norfolk tied the game and took away any possible decision from Stoner.

Justin Turner, who was with the Tides just over a week ago before being claimed off waiver by the New York Mets, went 3×4 in his return to Norfolk, including a RBI and two runs scored.

The Bisons look to make it two straight in Norfolk tomorrow night against the Tides with a 7:15 p.m. start time from Harbor Park.

BISONS NOTES: Mike Hessman picked up his 56th RBI of the year, which leads all of baseball…Bisons manager Ken Oberkfell also returned to his old stomping grounds of Norfolk, where he managed the Tides (when they were the New York Mets affiliate) in 2005 (Baseball America Minor League Manager of the Year) and 2006…Seven different players collected RBI’s for the Bisons tonight.

BISONS:
Jesus Feliciano, CF
Justin Turner, SS
Mike Jacobs, DH
Mike Hessman, 1B
Russ Adams, 2B
Mike Cervenak, 3B
Val Pascucci, RF
Andy Green, LF
JR House, C

TIDES:
Matt Angle, CF
Robert Andino, SS
Jeff Salazar, LF
Josh Bell, 3B
Rhyne Hughes, RF
Nolan Reimold, DH
Brandon Snyder, 1B
Blake Davis, 2B
Michel Hernandez, C

The Buffalo Bisons open an eight-game road trip Friday night in Norfolk, VA before traveling to Durham, NC, concluding the road trip. Here are some current facts on both clubs leading into the action.

NORFOLK TIDES
STRONG STARTS: Today’s starter Brandon Erbe will look to continue an impressive run by Tides starting pitchers, as Norfolk’s starters have posted a 1.57 ERA (11-ER, 63.0-IP) with 46 hits allowed and 46 strikeouts over their last nine starts. Tides starters have turned in a Quality Start in seven of those nine outings, and Norfolk has gone 5-4 over that stretch.

DOUBLE THREAT: Tides infielder Josh Bell has six multi-hit games over his last 12 contests. The 23-year-old has hit .356 (16-for-45) with eight doubles, eight runs scored and two RBI over that span, which has seen him raise his average from .237 to .264. Bell, who was rated as the #2 prospect in the Orioles system according to Baseball America prior to the season, has a team-high 16 doubles, a total that is tied for the 4th-most in the International League.

WHAT A RELIEF: With a scoreless inning in Tuesday night’s win, Dennis Sarfate registered his fourth save of the season and lowered his ERA to 1.15. Sarfate has held opposing batters to a .113 average thus far (6-for-53) while walking nine and striking out 19 in 15.2 innings. The 29-year-old has not allowed an earned run in 10 of his 12 outings this season.

SERIES BUSINESS: With a win today, Norfolk would wrap up a win of their four-game series with Rochester, which would be just the second road series win this season. Of the six road series the Tides have played prior to the current set, Norfolk has won one (April 23-26 at Charlotte) and lost five, including each of its last four. A win today would also be Norfolk’s first victory in a road series finale, as the Tides have lost the final game of each of their previous six road series.

DURHAM BULLS
RUN LIKE THE BULLS: Durham added another stolen base yesterday in a 4-0 win at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and now has 70, 14 ahead of everyone else. Durham has been successful 83 percent of the time (just 14 CS), a success rate which also leads the IL. Elliot Johnson and Fernando Perez lead the Bulls and are third in the IL with 16 each. Four Bulls, Johnson (16), Perez (16), Desmond Jennings (12) and Justin Ruggiano (11) are in double digits. Ruggiano was 4-for-4 in a 4-3 defeat on Tuesday.

REHAB REPORT: Kelly Shoppach went 2-for-4 yesterday in his third game on MLB rehab with the Bulls. He caught the first seven innings. Shoppach, who’s coming back from a knee injury, is 4-for-11 with 2 RBI at the plate in three games. The Bulls have allowed just one run in the 12 innings where he’s been behind the plate.

SEVENTH HEAVEN: The current series against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre marks the first time since joining the Bulls where top prospect Desmond Jennings hit somewhere other than first or second in the lineup. Jennings moved down to seventh and is 5-for-11 with a double, walk, and three runs scored in three games since the move. He had been in a 4-for-40 stretch at the plate.

TOUGH ROAD: Durham (30-23) is in the midst an eight-game road trip against the top two teams in the North Division (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Syracuse). The Bulls, who are 14-13 on the road this year, are playing 18 of 24 games away from home (currently 2-1). Durham started this stretch with a 5.5 game lead over Gwinnett in the South Division, a lead the Bulls currently maintain.