TO SUM IT UP: Matt Maloney tossed seven shutout innings to lead Louisville from the hill in a 8-0 win over the Bisons and a series split… Buffalo was held to five hits while the Bats had a season-best 16 knocks…

FAST FACTS: Casey Fossum made the spot start  for Pat Misch, who was promoted to the Mets prior to the game… Kirk Nieuwenhuis (1-4) has hit in 26 of 31 games while reaching base in all but one this season… Luis Hernandez extended his hit streak to five straight (6-17) with a ninth inning single… The game was Louisville’s 200th Moder Era (1982) game played in Buffalo, NY…

Buffalo	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Tejada, SS	3	0	0	0	1	0	2	.283
Hernandez, Lu, 2B	4	0	1	0	0	1	3	.192
Nieuwenhuis, CF	4	0	1	0	0	2	1	.315
Evans, N, 3B	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	.220
Duda, LF	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	.241
Martinez, F, RF	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	.268
Tankersley, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Pascucci, 1B	3	0	1	0	0	2	1	.200
Nickeas, C	3	0	0	0	0	2	2	.077
Fossum, P	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.667
Lujan, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a-Manriquez, S, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.304
Hampson, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Malo, RF	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.100
Totals	28	0	5	0	2	7	12

Buffalo	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Fossum (L, 0-2)	4.2	7	3	2	1	2	1	3.58
Lujan	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Hampson	2.0	3	2	2	0	1	1	2.40
Tankersley	2.0	6	3	3	0	5	0	4.80

Sunday, May 8, 2011 (1:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (13-17, 5th(-5.0), North)
LHP Casey Fossum (0-1, 3.52)

Louisville Bats (17-12, 2nd(-5.5), West)
LHP Matt Maloney (0-0, 1.93)

TODAY’S GAME: This afternoon, the Buffalo Bisons host the Louisville Bats for the final game of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (1:05 p.m.). The Bisons lead the series 2-1 and can collect their first series win of the season with another victory today. On Monday, the homestand continues with a four-game set against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

VS. BATS: The Bisons are now 2-1 against the Bats to start their season series. Buffalo has won six of their last eight games against Louisville at Coca-Cola Field. The Bats will get their chance to host the Bisons very soon as Buffalo will begin their next roadtrip on Friday, May 13 with the first game of a four-game series at Louisville Slugger Field.

CASEY ON THE MOUND: LHP CASEY FOSSUM returns to the starting rotation after pitching three consecutive scoreless outings from the Bisons bullpen. His last start came April 21 when he held Rochester to one unearned run in 6.1 innings of work. Since allowing seven runs in his 2011 debut, Fossum has posted a 0.96ERA in five games and 18.2 innings of work. During that span, the southpaw has allowed just 14 hits and struck out 16 batters.

NOTHING NEIU: OF KIRK NIEUWENHUIS has reached base in 29 of the Bisons 30 games. The only game he failed to reach base was an 0-4 performance on April 27 in Rochester that ended his 16-game hit streak. That streak still stands as the International League’s best for 2011. Nieuwenhuis is also tied with two others for the most doubles in the IL with 12 and his .425 on-base percentage is fifth-best in the circuit.

BATTING THE BATS: A couple of Bisons players enjoy facing Louisville pitching. In 18 career games against the IL West foe, OF JESUS FELICIANO has averaged .355 (22-62) with five RBI and eight runs scored. In 11 career games against the Bats, INF RUBEN TEJADA has hit .333 (14-42) with six runs scored.

BISONS BITS: The Bisons are 3-0 in the first three games caught by C MIKE NICKEAS this season…The last time LHP CASEY FOSSUM faced Louisville was May 28, 2008 while with Toledo. In that start, he allowed just one run on two hits in seven innings with 11 strikeouts.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (15-18) beat the Dodgers, 4-2, on Saturday night. Former Bison OF JASON PRIDIE went 3-3 at the plate to raise his average to .300. RHP DILLON GEE allowed just two runs in 5.1 innings of work. New York will look for the three-game sweep of Los Angeles today at 1:10 p.m.

The Louisville Bats received some great pitch and maybe a little bit of luck, to snap a two-game Bisons win streak in a 3-1 victory over the Herd on Satuerday afternoon from Coca-Cola Field.
In a game were so few runs were scored, the story of the contest was one of the innings that the Bisons didn’t tally. A disputed doubleplay in the bottom of the seventh inning halted some Herd momentum and possibly sealed Buffalo’s fate.

After being held to just one hit over the first six innings by Bat’s starter Tom Cochran and trialing 2-0, the Bisons finally began to mount a rally. Lucas Duda led off the seventh with a sharp single to right field and then moved to third base on a soft liner into left by Valentino Pascucci.

Herd skipper Tim Teufel called on Salomon Manriquez, who chopped the first pitch he saw from reliever Jose Arrendondo down the third base line. Buffalo’s runners thought the ball was clearly foul, but home plate umpire Derek Crabill saw differently. Louisville third baseman Todd Frazier quickly turned the around-the-horn doubleplay with the Bisons baserunners still frozen in their tracks.

Teufel raced down the third base line to argue and was promptly ejected by Crabill. After the Bisons manager pled his case, Manriquez -who was still in the batter’s box- slammed his bat down in disgust.

Raul Chavez followed with a ground out to third base to end the threat.

The Bisons did score a run in the eighth inning on a Kirk Nieuwenhuis double, but were held to just five hits in defeat.

Louisville scored two runs in the first inning off starter Josh Stinson. The righty recovered to allow just those two runs in five innings or work.

TO SUM IT UP: Louisville’s Tom Cochran no-hit the Bisons  over 5 2/3 to lead the Bats to a 3-1 win over Buffalo 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. The Bats took an early lead for the lefty, up 2-0 in the first and went up 3-0 in the eighth before the Bisons finally scored.  The Bisons hit into a pair of costly double-plays that snuffed rallies late in the ballgame.

FAST FACTS: Lucas Duda has hits in 8 of last 10 games (2 doubles, 3 HR, 7 RBI)… Luis Hernandez 4G (5-13) hit streak… Ruben Tejada lost his 4G hit streak and is 9 for his last 22AB… Kirk Nieuwenhuis reached base twice and has reached base safely in 29 of Buffalo’s 30 games, collecting hits in hits in 25 of 30 played, while walking 19 times this season… Bats starter, Tom Cochran surrenders first hit Bisons after 5.2IP, Louisville has never had a 9-inning no-hitter (modern era, 1982) AND not opposing pitcher or teams has thrown a no-hitter at Coca-Cola Field.

Buffalo	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Tejada, SS	4	0	0	0	0	1	2	.291
Hernandez, Lu, 2B	4	1	2	0	0	1	1	.189
Nieuwenhuis, CF	3	0	1	1	1	1	0	.318
Evans, N, LF-3B	4	0	0	0	0	0	3	.226
Duda, RF	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.247
Pascucci, 1B	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	.192
Malo, 3B	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	.111
Lujan, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a-Manriquez, S, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.318
Tankersley, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Thayer, D, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
b-Martinez, F, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.264
Chavez, R, C	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	.157
Stinson, P	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000
Feliciano, J, LF	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.250
Totals	30	1	5	1	4	4	10

Buffalo	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Stinson (L, 1-3)	5.0	5	2	2	4	0	0	5.84
Lujan	2.0	3	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Tankersley	0.1	2	1	1	1	0	0	3.46
Thayer, D	1.2	0	0	0	1	2	0	2.55

Saturday, May 7, 2011 (1:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (13-16, 5th(-5.0), North)
RHP Josh Stinson (1-2, 6.41)

Louisville Bats (16-12, 2nd(-6.0), West)
LHP Tom Cochran (3-0, 1.86)

TODAY’S GAME: This afternoon, the Buffalo Bisons host the Louisville Bats for the third game of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (1:05 p.m.). The Herd has won the first two games of the series with Thursday’s 6-5 walk-off win and last night’s 4-0 shutout. On Monday, the homestand continues with a four-game set against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, May 9-12.

VS. BATS: The Bisons are now 2-0 against the Bats to start their season series. Buffalo has now won six of their last seven games against Louisville at Coca-Cola Field. Since 1998, the Herd has a 34-20 (.629 winning pct.) against the Bats in downtown Buffalo.

TODAY’S STARTER: RHP JOSH STINSON gets the start today. The righty won his only outing at Coca-Cola Field this season, allowing just one run in five innings to Lehigh Valley on April 22. In his last outing, Stinson pitched scoreless baseball into the sixth inning before yielding four runs in a no-decision to the IronPigs on May 2.

HOT HITTER: INF RUBEN TEJADA enters today’s game with four consecutive multi-hit games. Since May 2, the shortstop is hitting .500 (9-18) with two doubles, a home run and four RBI. Tejada leads the Bisons with 18RBI, already two more runs driven in than he had in 65 games with the Bisons last season.

WELCOME TO THE HERD: RHP BRIAN SWEENEY was signed by the Mets yesterday from the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League. Sweeney made one start with the Patriots, striking out eight in seven innings of a victory. He went to minor league camp with the Diamondbacks this year and was 1-2 with a 3.16ERA in 24 games with Seattle in 2010.

BISONS BITS: After his performance last night, RHP CHRIS SCHWNIDEN ranks 6th in the International League with his 2.00ERA…The Bisons have won all three games that C MIKE NICKEAS has started behind the plate…LHP CASEY FOSSUM has not allowed a run in his 7.2 innings as a reliever this season (3 appearances)…With a win today, Buffalo would clinch their first series victory of the 2011 season.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (14-18) doubled up the Dodgers by a 6-3 score last night. Former Bison OF JASON PRIDIE hit a three-run home run, his third since his April promotion. INF IKE DAVIS hit his seventh home run of the year as well. New York hosts Los Angeles again tonight at 7:05 p.m. from Citi Field.