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Sports Recap
Phil Vanhorne of the baseball team had a career day in UB's doubleheader split against LeMoyne on April 1. The sophomore shortstop went 6-for-9 with four RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base in the two games, batting from the leadoff position. He tops UB in seven offensive categories, including a .346 batting average and 27 hits, and is tied for the team lead in stolen bases and runs scored.
Wendy Rose of the women's tennis team won the number-six singles match in UB's 4-3 loss to Mid American Conference rival Akron on Friday. Rose won the grueling two-set match over Meredith Carey, taking the first set, 7-5. She closed out the match by winning a 7-3 tiebreaker to take the set, 7-6, and record the first MAC victory of her career.
Baseball
LeMoyne 6, UB 3
Buffalo 14, LeMoyne 9
UB split a doubleheader with LeMoyne as it hosted its home opener on April 1. LeMoyne won the first game, 6-3, and UB (5-16) took the nightcap, 14-9.
The Bulls let one slip away in the first game, holding a 3-1 lead in the final inning only to see LeMoyne score five runs in the top of the seventh to win the game.
LeMoyne scored in the top of the third inning on a single by Steven Suarez to give the Dolphins a 1-0 lead. UB answered in the bottom of the third inning when Brian Zelasko scored on an error and a single by Adrian Daniels plated Phil Vanhorne to put the Bulls up, 2-1. Jordan Alcott laced a double down the right field line and later scored when Brandon DiCesare's sacrifice bunt was thrown away by the pitcher.
LeMoyne's seventh-inning rally was sparked by a leadoff double by Michael Falasca—the Dolphins' only hit of the inning. Falasca scored on a throwing error by DiCesare. Mike Pecchia's ground out to second base tied the game at 3-3. A bases-loaded walk, a passed ball and a wild pitch scored LeMoyne's final three runs.
In game two, the Bulls exploded for a season-high 14 runs. Vanhorne scored UB's first run on an error by LeMoyne shortstop Anthony Aquilino in the bottom of the first inning. Buffalo scored three more times in the bottom of the second inning. Joe Mihalics ripped an RBI single and Vanhorne followed with a double that scored two.
The Dolphins scored two runs in the top of third inning to cut the lead to 4-2. However, the Bulls batted around in the bottom of the third, scoring six runs. The key blow was a two-run single by Vanhorne. UB scored two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to extend its lead to 14-4. LeMoyne scored three runs in the sixth inning and two runs in the seventh inning to cut the lead to 14-9, but could get no closer as the Bulls held on for the victory.
Jeff Loveys allowed eight earned runs over 6 1/3 innings to pick up his first career victory.
The Bulls snapped a recent hitting slump by pounding out 15 hits. Chris McGraw was a perfect 4-for-4 and Mihalics was 3-for-4 with four RBIs.
However, the star on this day was Vanhorne. The sophomore shortstop combined to go 6-for-9 with four RBIs and three runs scored in both games.
Bad weather forced the postponement of the weekend series with Northern Illinois. The Bulls will host Marshall in a MAC series this weekend.
Softball
Kent State 13, UB 1
Kent State 2, UB 1
UB dropped both ends of a doubleheader at Kent State on March 31 to complete a three-game series with the Golden Flashes. The Bulls suffered a 13-1 loss in game one before losing a close, 2-1, decision in game two. The losses drop the Bulls record to 9-13 overall and 1-5 in the MAC.
Kent State pounded out 11 hits and had two big innings—scoring seven runs in the bottom of the first and six runs in the bottom of the fourth—to dominate game one of the doubleheader. The Bulls' lone run in the game came in the top of the fourth when sophomore Melissa Pace singled to left field to drive in senior Kelly Malone. Senior Andrea Sage took the loss on the mound for the Bulls, giving up 10 hits and seven earned runs while striking out three in 3.2 innings of work. KSU pitcher Melissa Rhodes went the distance for the Golden Flashes, allowing just five hits and striking out three.
In game two, UB got on the board first when sophomore Ann Magur led off the game with a single to center, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Lauren Picciano and then crossed the plate on a throwing error by KSU's Kelly Maehl following a grounder by junior Breanne Nasti.
The Golden Flashes tied the game in the bottom of the second inning on a solo home run by Lea Dorto and then put the winning run across the plate in the bottom of the third on an RBI-single by Grete Hornstrom that scored Maehl. Buffalo pitcher Stacey Evans suffered the loss on the mound for the Bulls, allowing seven hits and striking out five, while Kent State's Kate Leary earned the win, giving up five hits and striking out six.
UB's doubleheaders with Colgate, Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan all were scrapped due to the recent poor weather. UB will host Ohio tomorrow and Saturday in the UB Softball Stadium.
Tennis
MEN'S
Toledo 5, UB 2
UB concluded its MAC slate Saturday afternoon, falling to the visiting Toledo Rockets, 5-2, in the Village Glen Tennis Center in Williamsville. With the loss, the Bulls end their league record at 1-4 and are 11-11 overall with two non-conference matches remaining.
After dropping the doubles point, UB picked up a pair of singles victories to avoid the shutout. Second singles player Randy Rocchio was put to the test in his match against Dipesh Rao. Rocchio took the first set, 7-6, winning the tiebreaker, 7-2. Rocchio was a point from putting away the match in the second set, but Rao rallied by winning the final three games for a 7-5 decision to force a super-tiebreaker. Rocchio then pulled out the match by taking the 10-point tiebreaker, 10-4. Also earning a singles victory for the Bulls was Rannga Prayudha at number five. Prayudha took the first set, 7-5, and was leading the second set, 3-0, when the match was stopped due to time constraints.
The remainder of the singles matches went in favor of Toledo. UB's number-one player, Fery Kasiman, fell to Khalid Al Nabhani, 6-1, 6-3. At number three, Josh Liederman was defeated, 6-2, 6-1, by Todd Wojtkowski. Nick Zieziula fell in a super-tiebreaker to Tony Tran, 3-6, 6-3, 10-6, at number four. Number six Ivan Chamdani lost to Mirsad Begic, 6-2, 6-0.
Toledo swept the doubles to begin the match. Al.Nabhani and Tran downed Rocchio and Zieziula, 8-5, at number one. Gomez and Rao defeated Kasiman and Rohan Raikar at number two, 8-4. Begic and Wojtkowski won a 9-8 decision over Liederman and Prayudha with a 9-7 tiebreaker.
The Bulls were to close out the home schedule yesterday by hosting local rival Canisius at the University Tennis Center. The Bulls also will travel to Stony Brook on April 18 to complete the regular season.
WOMEN'S
Akron 4, UB 3
UB fell just short of the its first MAC victory of the season, dropping a 4-3 decision on Friday at Akron. With the loss, the Bulls are 6-9 overall and 0-5 in league play.
UB was unable to gain ground early, dropping all three doubles matches to begin the day. Number one doubles team Karen Maynard and Kristen Ortman were defeated. 8-2. by Irina Strembitsky and Diana Serafini. Second team Michelle Kollarova and Erica Zielinski dropped a tight 8-6 match to Courtney Brenkus and Mindy Price. UB's number three team of Lisa Wittman and Sheri Ugowski fell, 8-4, to Stephanie Miles and Meredith Carey.
The Bulls split the singles matches, winning three of the six as the doubles point proved to be the all-important deciding factor of the day. UB picked up a win at second singles from Ortman, as the freshman won a tiebreaker, 11-9, over Brenkus after the pair had split the first two sets. Ortman took the first set, 6-4, while Brenkus won the second, 6-3.
Also earning singles wins for the Bulls were Kollarova at number three and Wendy Rose at number six. Kollarova dispatched Serafini, 6-4, 6-3. Rose was tested in her match against Carey but held on for a 7-5, 7-6 victory, taking the tiebreaker, 7-3. Maynard, at first singles, fell to Stembitsky, 6-2, 6-1. Zielinski, at number four, was defeated by Price, 6-0, 6-2. Wittman dropped a 6-2, 6-1 match to Miles in the remaining three contests.
UB will host MAC foes Eastern Michigan and Toledo tomorrow and Saturday, respectively. Both matches are slated for 1 p.m. starts.
Outdoor track and field
UB women take first, men third at McDonald's meet
The women's track-and-field team scored a convincing victory on Saturday at the McDonald's Invitational held at Ohio University. The Bulls scored 168 points in the eight-team meet to finish ahead of MAC rivals Ohio (146) and Bowling Green (137) to claim the title. Meanwhile, the men placed third among eight squads with 135 points to finish behind Eastern Michigan (187.50) and Ohio (150).
Leading the women's fortunes was junior Faith Thompson, who won a pair of throwing events. Thompson bettered her own school record in the shot put with a winning toss of 46-8 (14.22m) to solidify her NCAA Regional Meet qualifying mark. She also scored a personal best in the hammer throw with a throw of 165-3 (50.38m), more than four inches longer than her previous best.
Pole vaulter Laura Olson tied her existing school record to win the event at 12-6 (3.81m). Olson, who had set the mark at the season-opening Alabama Relays two weeks ago, won Saturday's competition by a foot over the second-place finisher, Ohio's Jill Miranda.
Biaunca McFarland also won two events for the Bulls, taking the triple jump at 38-7.50 (11.27m) and the 200-meter dash in 25.10. She also earned a second-place finish in the 100-meters in 12.86. The Bulls took the top three spots in the triple jump, with Jennifer Anderson and Kate Kohout finishing behind McFarland. Anderson turned in a leap of 36-5.75 (11.12m), while Kohout finished just a quarter-inch behind at 36-5.50 (11.11m).
Freshman Todd Joki was the lone UB men's athlete to score a first-place finish. Joki won the 400-meter hurdles in 54.32. He also took third place in the long jump at 22-11.50 (7.00m).
Keith Gentes qualified for the NCAA Regional Meet with a hammer throw of 179-5 (54.69m) to finish second. Byron McKinney also took a pair of second-place finishes in the shot put (51-9.50/15.79m) and discus (144-9/44.12m).
Other second-place finishes were turned in by Rick Stewart in the 5,000-meters (15:07.85) and Gary Asbach in the triple jump (44-9/13.64m).
The Bulls will return to action in the always-competitive Sea Ray Relays hosted by the University of Tennessee tomorrow and Saturday. The Knoxville meet is traditionally one of the toughest on the UB schedule.
Crew
Saturday's scheduled quad-race at Rochester Institute of Technology was cancelled due to the poor weather conditions. It will not be rescheduled.