Valentino Pascucci broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning with a towering two-run blast over the left field screen and out of Coca Cola Field, putting the Bisons ahead of the Norfolk Tides for a 5-3 win Sunday afternoon.

“Once I hit that one, I knew it was gone,” Pascucci said. “I think a few people did. I think I might have heard (hitting coach Mike) Easler yelling from the dugout.”

Starter Chris Schwinden ran into early trouble with a leadoff walk to Matt Angle, a Tyler Henson single and a line-drive blast over the left field wall by Jake Fox, giving Norfolk a quick 3-0 lead.

However Tides starter Chris George fared no easier in the bottom of the stanza, allowing three runs on five hits, including Nick Evans’ 12th double of the season and a two-run double by Fernando Martinez.

“That’s the sign that you’re looking for as a team to bounce back from that first inning,” Pascucci said.

Evans extended his Bisons hit streak to 16 games, the third Buffalo batter to hit that mark. Going 2-for-2 with two walks and two runs, Evans has 12 multi-hit games over the streak.

Schwinden rebounded from the Fox home run, retiring 17 straight batters with perfect second through sixth innings. He topped his own mark for most consecutive outs by a Herd pitcher, 16 at Louisville May 16.

Buffalo manager Tim Teufel credited Schwinden’s turnaround to mental toughness.

“He was showing that he can execute under pressure,” Teufel said. “Certainly today was a day where he had to make adjustments early in the game and he made those adjustments.

Earning his fifth win of the season, Schwinden allowed three earned runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Schwinden said he told himself to throw strikes after the early trouble.

“They put some good swings on, but didn’t really connect and it turned out for the best,” he added.

While Schwinden shut down the Tides, George also tossed scoreless second through sixth innings, stranding five base runners over that stretch.

George exited the game with the game still tied, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Taylor Tankersley threw a one-two-three eighth inning before Dale Thayer’s scoreless ninth for his team-high fifth save.

With Brandon Snyder on first, Martinez caught a fly ball from Josh Bell on the right field warning track just short of a game-tying home run.

Game Notes: The win clinched the second home series win of the season for the Bisons… Pascucci tied Lucas Duda for the team lead with 10 home runs on the season… Pascucci also leads the Herd with 49 RBI.

Sunday, June 26, 2011 (1:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (32-45, T4th(-12.0), North)
RHP Chris Schwinden (4-3, 3.05)

Norfolk Tides (29-46, 4th(-12.0), South)
LHP Chris George (3-3, 4.06)

TODAY’S GAME: This afternoon, the Bisons take on the Norfolk Tides in the third game of a four game series at Coca-Cola Field (1:05 p.m.). The Bisons have won the first two games of the series by scores of 4-2 and 6-5. Following tomorrow’s series finale, the Herd will welcome in Lehigh Valley as they continue their season-long 10-game homestand.

VS. THE TIDES: Buffalo is now 4-2 against the Tides this season, having won the past three contests. The Bisons split a four-game series against the Tides last week in Norfolk. Buffalo is 14-7 in their last 21 games against the Tides and have owned the series since 1998. The Bisons have a .632 winning percentage (67-39) in the last 13-plus seasons.

SCHWING AND MISS: RHP CHRIS SCHWINDEN leads the Bisons in the pitching triple crown with four wins, 60 strikeouts and a 3.05ERA. His ERA also ranks as the 8th best in the International League. Schwinden was victorious his last time out, allowing just one run in six innings on Tuesday in Durham. Schwinden’s last win at home came May 6 against Louisville (6.0IP, 0R, 5K).

MR. WALK-OFF: OF JESUS FELICIANO had the game-winning single in the 11th inning last night and now has four walk-off winners in his Bisons career. He had the Bisons last previous winner with a two-run single on May 5 against Louisville. Feliciano’s first walk-off hit also came against the Tides, a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth of a 5-3 win on May 11, 2009.

SWEET 16?: INF NICK EVANS can become the third Bisons player to reach 16 games with a hit streak. His 15-game stretch has been loud with 11 multi-hit games and a .475 (28-59) batting average. In the streak, Evans has nine doubles, two homers, 13RBI and 11 runs scored. The stretch has also raised Evans season batting average 85 points from .215 to an even .300.

BISONS BITS: INF NICK EVANS has hit .300 (15-50) off lefties, .300 (39-130) off righties and .300 (15-50) with runners in scoring position…The Bisons are now 3-0 in extra-inning games at home this season…INF VALENTINO PASCUCCI’S 47 walks are five more times than any batter in the IL.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (38-39) put up an eight-run sixth inning in a 14-5 win at Texas last night. Former Bisons OF LUCAS DUDA had four hits, including three doubles, and four RBI in the win. OF CARLOS BELTRAN also had three hits and three RBI. The Mets and Rangers play the rubber-match of their series today at 1:10 p.m.

Two and a half innings after Norfolk tied the game at, 5-5, the Herd ended it with a single off the bat of Jesus Feliciano into center-field for a, 6-5, win Saturday night at Coca-Cola Field.
Luis Figueroa leadoff the 11th- inning with a double into left-center-field and then Norfolk walked Nick Evans to set up the doubleplay. Fernando Martinez did just what the Tides wanted grounding into a doubleplay that left only Figueroa on base.
Norfolk avoided Valentino Pascucci, working pitches out of the zone and then intentionally walking him after getting to a, 3-0, count. Pascucci was followed to the plate by Feliciano who battled for eight pitches, fouling off five pitches before pushing a single just to the right of second base scoring Figueroa.

“Feliciano has been a really good player his whole career hitting wise and this is really his first time he hasn’t felt good at the plate,” manager Tim Teufel said. “But tonight was one of his better at bats that I’ve seen him give us in the last couple outings.”

It is Feliciano’s second walk-off hit of the 2011 season and his fourth at Coca-Cola Field during his career.

Just a half inning earlier the Bisons looked to be in trouble of letting the game get away after Brian Sweeny gave up a leadoff double to Tides catcher Tyler Henson. But he managed to get a pop-out to short center field and then struck-out the following two batters stranding Henson on second.

“Sweeny ended up pitching really well after that, getting a couple key outs and giving us a chance to come up in the bottom half and win the game,” said Teufel.

The Herd erased a, 3-2, deficit in the seventh inning on a Fernando Martinez blast but Norfolk tied the game in the eighth-inning, 5-5.

Josh Bell started the eighth inning for Norfolk by hitting a leadoff homerun into left-field to pull the Tides within one-run. Norfolk managed to manufacture the second run after Tyler Henson singled into left-field and moved to second on a wild-pitch. John Hester followed him with a single into left-field scoring Henson.

Luis Figueroa scored the Herd’s first run of the game, and leadoff the seventh-inning with a single into left-field. The red-hot Nick Evans followed him with a drive just inside of third base allowing Figueroa to move to third while Evans cruised into second.

With no outs Fernando Martinez approached the plate looking for his first hit of the game. He drove a homerun off the foul pole in right-field for his sixth-homerun of the season.

“It was nice to see Sweeny do a nice job out there and Feliciano hasn’t had that big-big hit in a while and he got one tonight so it was a great way to end the game,” Teufel said.

Game Notes: Nick Evans extended his hit-streak to 15-games in the first inning of Saturdays game driving a double down the right-field line…Valentino Pascucci grounded out in the first inning but in the process Luis Figueroa scored giving Pascucci his 47 RBI of the 2011 season…Nick Evans got his second hit of the game in the seventh-inning driving a double down the left-field line…Evans has multiple hits in, 11-15, games during his hit-streak…It was the Bisons fourth walk-off win of the 2011 season and the second time they have won on a Jesus Feliciano hit.

Saturday, June 25, 2011 (7:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (31-45, 6th(-13.0), North)
RHP Dylan Owen (2-4, 4.71)

Norfolk Tides (29-45, 4th(-12.0), South)
RHP Mitch Atkins (1-3, 3.06)

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight the Bisons take on the Norfolk Tides in the second game of a four game series at Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). The Bisons 10-game homestand began last night with a 4-2 victory over the Tides. After this series come to an end on Monday, the Herd will take on the IronPigs for four games and the Chiefs for two.

VS. THE TIDES: Buffalo is now 3-2 against the Tides this season. The Bisons split a four-game series against the Tides last week in Norfolk. Since 2009, the Herd has won 13 of the last 20 games in the match-up against the Tides. Buffalo took three games of a four-game set the last time Norfolk visited Coca-Cola Field (May 14-17, 2010).

ON THE BUMP: RHP DYLAN OWEN will make his eighth start and 13th appearance tonight. The righty was a hard-luck loser his last time out, allowing just two runs in six innings in a 2-1 loss in Durham on Monday. Owen’s ERA as a starter this season is over five runs better than as a reliever. He has a 3.58ERA when starting the game and an 8.68ERA in five relief outings.

EVANS ALMIGHTY: INF NICK EVANS extended his hit streak with a go-ahead RBI-single in the seventh inning last night. His 14-game stretch is tied with Durham’s Lastings Milledge for the longest active streak in the league. Evans has averaged .473 (26-55) during a streak that began in May before a month-long promotion to the Mets. Ten of the 14 games during the Evans’s stretch have been multi-hit performances.

STARTING IT OFF: RHP DYLAN OWEN will look to close out a good week for the starting rotation. In the last six games, Herd starters have not allowed more than three earned runs in a start and have posted a 3.44ERA. During the stretch, the starters have allowed 34 hits in 34.0 innings with 21 strikeouts.

BISONS BITS: INF MICHAEL FISHER hit a double last night to add to his performance of getting a hit in 17 out of 18 games (21-69, .304)…LHP MICHAEL O’CONNOR picked up his third consecutive win which is  now currently tied for the longest winning streak with RHP DALE THAYER…RHP RYOTA IGARASHI has made 10 consecutive scoreless appearances (10.0IP).

METS UPDATE: The Mets (38-38) lost to the Rangers yesterday by an 8-1 score. OF JASON BAY had three of New York’s eight hits on the night. RHP MIKE PELFREY allowed four runs in six innings to take the loss. New York faces Texas again this afternoon at 4:10 p.m. Former Bisons LHP JON NIESE will start for the Mets.

Nick Evans delivered a seventh-inning two-out base hit to give the Bisons the lead and the win over Norfolk at Coca-Cola Field on Friday Night, 4-2.

Bubba Bell slapped a single into right-field with one-out in the seventh, after Luis Figueroa flew-out Evans strolled to the plate. Bell managed to steal second, and then move to third on a wild-pitch. The stolen base was Bell’s second on the year.

Evans drove a single through the gap in right-center-field scoring Bell easily from third. The single extended Evans hit-streak to 14-games, the Herd’s longest active streak.

“It’s a, 3-2, count, I think the pitcher threw him a slider and Evans stayed on it and delivered once again,” manager Tim Teufel said.

The Bisons got on the board first in the bottom of the first-inning when Zach Lutz drove a home run over the right-center-field wall. It was his fourth homerun of the season and pushed his average to .326 in 27 games with the Bisons. In 14-games since being activated off the disabled list Lutz has hit .340 (17-50).

“That homerun to right-field was kind of majestic in a way because it was against the wind, it was high and it was far. Lutz put a really good swing on it,” said Teufel.

Lutz left the game after taking a pitch in the head during the fourth inning.

“It hit him in a good spot, right near the ear and there’s not much padding on the helmet there,” Teufel said. “He still has a little headache but we’ll be able to tell better tomorrow.”

Pat Misch worked six innings of two-run ball only setting the side down in order during the sixth and final-inning he pitched. Misch managed to catch one-runner attempting to steal in the fifth-inning with a great pick-off move to first.

“Pat did a great Job,” said Teufel. “He was around the plate the whole night. This is back-to-back outings where he’s pitched well, he’s very successful when he pitches down and in the knee area.”

The only runs Misch allowed came on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and then a leadoff homerun in the fifth inning.

Misch set down a season high seven Norfolk batters on strike-outs. He struck-out six batters in his first start of the season on an April 4, loss to Pawtucket. Misch left with a no-decision in his seventh start of the 2011 season.

“Tonight he had a really good fastball and he was elevating it and getting some strike-outs, but then he went back to the curveball and I think that’s a key pitch for him,” Teufel said.

Fernando Martinez added the fourth-run of the game with his fifth-homerun of the season. Martinez drove the ball into left-center field to give the herd a two-run lead.

Jason Botts ended the game by making a sliding catch in short left-field to retire the final Norfolk batter and give the Herd the win in the first game of a 10-game homestand.

Game Notes: Zach Lutz continued to be hot at the plate since returning from the disabled list driving a homerun over the wall in right-center-field during the first inning, Lutz left the game after being hit by a pitch in the helmet during the fourth inning…Pat Misch worked through six innings striking out seven Norfolk batters, and giving up two-runs, one coming on a homerun I the fifth inning…Nick Evans continues his hot-streak hitting in his 14th consecutive game.