Fleming throws seven shutout innings as Bisons rout WooSox 12-0

Josh Fleming gave Buffalo the calm start it needed, and the Bisons turned that control into a blowout at Polar Park. Fleming worked seven shutout innings, allowed only two hits and struck out five as Buffalo blanked the Worcester Red Sox 12-0 and turned a tense pitcher’s duel into a statement road win.

For six innings, Buffalo had nothing on the board and Worcester still had a live chance to turn the game on one swing. Then the Bisons finally cracked through in the seventh, and the inning did not stop with a small opening. Josh Rivera delivered a two-run single to break the deadlock, giving Buffalo the first real momentum shift of the night and changing the feel of the game immediately.

The eighth inning was where the Bisons separated for good. Buffalo loaded the bases, kept forcing Worcester into stressful pitches and walks, and then kept adding until the score became lopsided. Carlos Mendoza, who was the centerpiece of the lineup all night, finished with an RBI double, a single and a three-run homer. That homer helped push the lead into full blowout range after Buffalo had already started stacking runs through patience and pressure.

The approach at the plate mattered as much as the damage. Buffalo drew a season-high 14 walks, and Davis Schneider accounted for four of them, a sign of just how often the Bisons forced Worcester pitchers into deep counts and mistake pitches. The late surge was not just about one big inning; it was about a lineup that kept taking strikes, taking walks and waiting for the staff to lose the zone before cashing in with extra-base hits.

The shutout carried value beyond the final margin. Fleming’s seven innings kept the bullpen from being overtaxed, and Buffalo showed it can win in more than one way, whether by grinding early for runs or by waiting for an opening and then burying a game once it arrives. On a night when the scoreless tension could have lingered, the Bisons slammed the door with authority.