Buffalo beat Ironpigs 6-5 on Sunday

When Buffalo center fielder Emmanuel Garcia came up short on a diving attempt on Neil Sellers' RBI double in the second inning -- a play opposing outfielders have seemingly made with regularity so far this year -- it appeared that maybe fate was starting to smile on the IronPigs (or at least break out in a slight grin).

Then came a botched rundown the following inning that led to two unearned Buffalo runs. And another error in the fourth that gave the Bisons another gift run.

The result was the latest loss in Lehigh Valley's current tailspin, a 6-5 setback Sunday afternoon before 10,000 at Coca-Cola Park.

The IronPigs (16-27) cut a four-run deficit to 6-5 on Seller's two-out RBI single in the eighth. But with Brian Schneider at second as the tying run, Brian Bocock went down swinging against Bobby Parnell.

Melvin Dorta's leadoff single put the tying runner on base in the ninth but John Lujan struck out Chris Duffy (on a third-strike bunt attempt), pinch-hitter Dane Sardinha and Rich Thompson for his fourth save and hand the IronPigs their 14th loss in 18 one-run games.

The three unearned runs didn't make life any easier for starter Nate Bump (4-2), who was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning. The veteran right-hander gave up 12 hits and five runs (two earned) while throwing 79 pitches.

After Sellers' double drove in John Mayberry Jr. to give the IronPigs a 1-0 lead, an error by third baseman Cody Ransom helped give the Bisons two runs in the third.

Garcia, at second with one out, was caught a bit too far off base when Jesus Feliciano bounced to short. Bocock flipped to Ransom, who ran Garcia back toward second before throwing to Luis Maza. But with Bump standing on the third base bag, Ransom grabbed Maza's return throw and as he tried to put the tag on Garcia the ball squirted out of his glove, leaving runners at the corners.

It was Ransom's third error in three games and 12th overall, most in the league.

Andy Green followed with a game-tying single, and one out later, Mike Hessman blooped a single to left just out of the reach of a diving Bocock, chasing in Feliciano with the go-ahead run.

Buffalo (27-17) got two more runs in the fourth, one on a Feliciano RBI single, the other when the ball kicked away from center fielder Rich Thompson on Green's single to center, allowing Toby Stoner to score.

Ransom got a run back in the fourth with an RBI single, chasing in Mayberry who had walked and stolen second. But former IronPig Mike Cervenak, who came off the disabled list Sunday morning, reached on a one-out single and eventually scored on Ruben Tejada's single to restore Buffalo's three-run lead.

Feliciano, who had three hits to raise his league-leading average to .383, tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly in the sixth off Brian Gordon to make it 6-2 but Ransom doubled home a run in the sixth, then scored on Sellers' sacrifice fly to it to 6-4.

Thompson singled, stole second and scored on Sellers' RBI single in the eighth. Sellers had two hits and knocked in three runs

Mayberry and Ransom each had two of the IronPigs' nine hits, which was three more than their combined total for the last two games.

Schneider was 0-for-3 with flyouts to left and center before drawing his eighth-inning walk, and was hitless in eight at-bats during his three-game rehab assignment. The Northampton native, who threw out the only baserunner (Tejada in the second) who tried to steal against him, is expected to be activated and rejoin the Philadelphia Phillies when they begin a series at Citi Field against the Mets Tuesday.

From the Morning Call