Simoneit sparks Bisons past Red Wings, 6-3, with three-RBI night

William Simoneit did not just pad a box score Saturday afternoon at ESL Ballpark. He gave Buffalo the kind of middle-order lift that can steady a Triple-A lineup, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs as the Bisons beat the Rochester Red Wings 6-3 and assured themselves at least a split in a series that was tied 10-10 entering game five.

Simoneit’s day started the right way and kept getting bigger. His first hit scored Tyler Fitzgerald for a 1-0 Buffalo lead, and the Bisons kept adding from there. Carlos Mendoza followed with an RBI single that brought home Rafael Lantigua, Riley Tirotta then launched his third home run of the season and second of the series, and Simoneit’s second hit was an RBI double that again scored Fitzgerald. By the time Simoneit added his final RBI double, driving in Josh Rivera, Buffalo had stretched the gap to 6-2 and put the game out of reach.

That was the difference between a decent afternoon and a meaningful one. Simoneit logged his first multi-hit game with Buffalo, which matters for a club that has needed production from somewhere other than the headline names. He had been activated on April 4 after time on the development list, and the 29-year-old catcher-infielder looked more settled than he had in his first handful of games. For Buffalo, that is not a small thing. A player who can hit in the middle, catch, move around the diamond, and lengthen the order becomes more than a fill-in. He becomes a reason the lineup survives stretches when the bigger prospects are elsewhere or simply quiet.

The win also carried weight because of the series context. Rochester and Buffalo entered the day locked at 10-10, and the Bisons had already taken Friday’s opener 6-2 before dropping the second game of the doubleheader 5-3. Saturday’s result gave Buffalo the edge it needed before the set moved on, while Rochester got multi-hit afternoons from Yohandy Morales and Andrew Pinckney in a losing effort.

Simoneit’s profile fits the kind of depth Buffalo needs. The Park Ridge, Illinois, native, a Wake Forest product, is listed at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds and throws and bats right-handed. He does not have to carry the organization, but afternoons like this show he can carry a game. With a six-game home series against Columbus looming and Trey Yesavage scheduled for another rehab start at Sahlen Field, Buffalo’s lineup could use more nights like Simoneit’s, not just from the prospects everyone is watching, but from the players turning into real answers.