University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: April 15, 2004

Baseball

Niagara 5-7, UB 4-8 (9)
UB 3, Bowling Green 2
Bowling Green 8, UB 5
Bowling Green 7, UB 2

Al Barbato smacked a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift UB to an 8-7 win over Niagara in game two of a doubleheader on April 7 at Amherst Audubon Field. The Purple Eagles held on to win the first game of the twin bill, 5-4.

In game one, Niagara scored a run in the top of the first inning to quickly take a 1-0 lead. After the Purple Eagles tallied another run in the top of the fourth inning to take a 2-0 lead, the Bulls tied the game when Matt Larson stroked a two-run single in the bottom of the fourth inning. Niagara answered with two runs in the top of the fifth inning and a run in the top of the sixth inning to regain a 5-2 lead. In the last of the seventh inning, Andrew Wengert hit a sacrifice fly that scored Barbato, and James Kingsley singled home Joe Mihalics to cut the lead to 5-4. However, the Bulls got no closer and dropped the opening game to the Purple Eagles.

Niagara got off to a similar start in game two, scoring a run in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. After hitting a triple in the bottom of the first, Mihalics scored on an RBI groundout by Wengert to tie the game, 1-1. The Bulls took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Dan Quinn drove home Steve Legrett via a sacrifice fly. The Purple Eagles scored three runs in the top of the third inning to regain a 4-2 advantage. The key blow was a two-run triple by Mike Alati.

In the bottom of the third, an RBI single by Wengert scored Barbato to cut the Niagara lead to 4-3. After Niagara added a run in the top of the fourth inning to take a 5-3 lead, the Bulls notched three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI single by Mihalics and a two-run base knock by Kingsley. Niagara scored twice in the top of the sixth inning to regain a 7-6 lead. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Mihalics hit his second triple of the game and later scored on an RBI groundout by Wengert that tied the game, 7-7, and sent it into extra innings. Barbato led off the bottom of the ninth inning with his first career home run that won it for the Bulls.

Dave Brozyna picked up his second win of the season in relief for UB.

On Friday, Jeff Loveys and Brozyna combined to hold Bowling Green to two runs on four hits en route to a 3-2 victory at Amherst Audubon Field. Loveys earned his first win of the season after pitching seven strong innings and Brozyna earned his first career save by tossing two shutout innings of relief.

Bowling Green got on the board first when Nolan Remold hit a home run to lead off the second inning. The Bulls answered in the bottom of the second inning when David Amaro singled home Legrett to tie the game, 1-1.

The Falcons scored a run in the top of the seventh inning on an RBI groundout by David Barkholz. Buffalo had the answer again in the bottom of the eighth inning. After leading off the inning with a double, Amaro scored following an RBI double by Brian Zelasko. Barbato then singled home Zelasko to put the Bulls ahead to stay.

UB dropped Saturday's game, 8-5, to the Falcons. Bowling Green struck for three runs in the top of the second inning to take a 3-0 lead. The Bulls got one of the runs back in the bottom of the third inning, compliments of a solo home run by Chris McGraw. The Falcons got RBI hits from Kevin Longstreth, Tyler Wasserman and Barkholz to score three more runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 6-1 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, with the bases loaded, Amaro stepped to the plate and launched a grand slam to cut the Bowling Green lead to 6-5. It was the first home run of the sophomore catcher's career. However, the Falcons scored a run in the sixth inning and a run in the eighth inning to extend their lead to 8-5. Bowling Green closer Neil Schmitz came in and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his fifth save of the season.

UB starter Mark Tourangeau allowed two earned runs over three innings, but left the game after sustaining an injury. McGraw pitched well in relief as he allowed only one run on two hits and struck out five over 3.1 innings.

Bowling Green took the rubber game of a three-game series with UB, 7-2, on Sunday afternoon.

Remold stroked a two-run single in the top of the first inning to give Bowling Green a 2-0 lead. It was one of four hits on the day for the Falcons' right fielder. The Bulls answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning as Legrett drove in Barbato on a fielder's choice and later scored on a Bowling Green error. The Falcons added two more runs in the top of the third inning on a two-run home run by Andy Hudak. Bowling Green went ahead, 5-2, in the top of the seventh inning following an RBI single by Jeff Warnock. The Falcons' final two runs of the game came in the top of the ninth inning on an RBI groundout by Warnock and an RBI single by Hudak.

Eric Kelly got the start on the mound for the Bulls and allowed five runs on 10 hits and struck out three over seven innings.

UB fell to 7-20 overall and 1-4 in the MAC. The Bulls will host Miami (OH) for a three-game series this weekend.

Softball

UB 2, Akron 0
UB 4-0, Akron 0-3

UB earned a 2-0 shutout of Akron on Friday at Akron's Buchtel Field to open the three-game series. Junior Julie Hibner hit a two-out single in the top of the fifth inning to score freshman Mary Russell and senior Dominique Jones with the only two runs of the game.

Jones had reached base on a walk and advanced to second when Akron shortstop Megan MacKenzie made an error on a fielder's choice by sophomore Lauren Picciano. Russell came in to pinch run for Picciano, and a sacrifice bunt by senior Marce Ross moved both Jones and Russell over to set up Hibner's two-RBI single. The Bulls had knocked on the door early on, leaving one runner on base in the third and two runners on base in the fourth before finally breaking the scoreless tie. Hibner was 2-for-4 in the game, as was senior Breanne Nasti, to lead the Bulls' offense.

Picciano was 1-for-2 in her first game back in the lineup after fracturing her leg in the Bulls' season opener against Virginia Tech on Feb. 13. Junior Melissa Pace also had one hit in the game.

Junior Stacey Evans pitched her 10th complete game and her third shutout of the season, allowing just two hits and striking out three.

The Bulls and Zips played a doubleheader on Saturday, with UB winning the opener by a 4-0 score before falling 3-0 in the second game. The split moves the Bulls' record to 12-15 overall and 3-3 in the MAC.

Evans pitched her second straight shutout in the opener, allowing just three hits and striking out seven while going the distance on the mound for the Bulls.

The Bulls scored two runs in the top of the second inning, with senior Allison Round hitting a leadoff single and eventually scoring on an Akron error and Picciano hitting an RBI-single to center that scored Jones. A two-run home run by junior Ann Magur in the sixth gave the Bulls some insurance runs, and Evans then retired the side in the sixth and seventh innings to complete the shutout.

Akron rebounded in the nightcap, getting on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second when Sara Zilles scored on a UB error. The Zips put two more runs across the plate in the fourth on a two-out, two-run single to center by Stephanie Conrad. Bulls' pitcher Theresa Gugger suffered the loss, allowing two earned runs and striking out one in four innings of work.

The Bulls will travel to Ohio for a three-game series this weekend.

Outdoor Track and Field

Bulls dominate field at Bison Outdoor Classic

The men's and women's track-and-field teams dominated the competition at the Bison Outdoor Classic hosted by Bucknell University on Friday and Saturday. There was no team scoring in the meet as the UB women won 13 events and the men took four events.

In the women's meet, senior Allison Laske set a school record in winning the 1,500-meter run. Laske finished in 4:27.15, shattering the 2003 mark of Christina Keck by seven seconds. Laske earned a spot in May's NCAA regional meet with the time. She also won the 400-meter run in 57.10.

Jenny Koeppel breezed to a win in the 3,000-meter run in 10:07.44, more than 12 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Charisse Everett took the 100-meter dash in 12.35 seconds. Celestine Coney won the 400-meter hurdles in 1:02.65. Her sister, Patrice Coney, took the 200-meter dash in 25.43 seconds, with Krystal Seiling placing second in 25.64 seconds.

The Bulls also took both relay races. The 4x100 foursome of Dana Ventrone, Seiling, Everett and Pauletta Dickerson won in 47.78 seconds. The 4x400 relay team of Stacy Downer, Celestine Coney, Jackie Cianfarano and Dickerson won in 3:51.88, nearly 12 seconds ahead of the second-place squad.

UB's women also scored five field event wins. Sarah Vance took the shot put at 44-6 (13.56m). Laura Olson won the pole vault at 12-9.50 (3.90m). Jessica Ball won the high jump at 5-0 (1.53m). Stephanie Conway took the long jump at 18-5.25 (5.62m) with Cianfarano taking second at 17-6.75 (5.37m). Jennifer Anderson won the triple jump at 37-8.75 (11.50m).

The UB men picked up victories in both hurdle events. Erich Smithson took the 110 high hurdles in 14.88 seconds. Brian Heim took the 400 intermediate hurdles in 53.61, shaving .13 seconds off his previous best. Reggie Rucker took the long jump at 23-3.50 (7.10m). Rucker also anchored the winning 4x100 relay team. The foursome of Bryan Weinstein, Gary Asbach, Derrick Frenney and Rucker finished in 42.79.

The Bulls will host the UB Open on Friday and Saturday. Events will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday. Squads from Binghamton and Syracuse are expected to highlight the field of teams competing.

Tennis

MEN'S

UB 4, Toledo 3

UB scored a 4-3 victory over Toledo Saturday afternoon in MAC action at the UT Tennis Courts. The win improved the Bulls to 8-11 overall and 2-3 in league play.

Toledo came into the match with just five players and was unable to field individuals at third doubles and sixth singles. UB's top doubles team of Randy Rocchio and Nick Zieziula clinched the opening point of the match with a victory over Freddy Gomez and Cristobal Torral, 9-8 (10-4 in the tiebreaker). At number two, UB's Yules Hadisubroto and Albert Alant fell to Todd Wojtkowski and Travis Curran, 8-2.

The Bulls claimed the match with two singles victories along with the default at number six, as four of the five matches went to three sets. Rocchio gave the Bulls the win as he outlasted Gomez in the number one match. Rocchio took the first set, 6-4, before falling to Gomez, 6-1, in the second to force the tiebreaking set. That third set then went to a tiebreaker with Rocchio having enough left to win the breaker, 7-1, and claim the set, 7-6.

Mike Rockman picked up UB's other singles victory with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 win over Curran at number three.

At number two, Zieziula fell to Wojtkowski, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. At number four, UB's Josh Liederman was defeated by Toral, 7-5, 6-2. At number five, Rangga Prayudha lost to Brian Rager, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

The victory was the second MAC win of the season for the Bulls and the first ever against a team other than Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, a MAC member in men's tennis only.

The Bulls now head into the MAC Championships, starting April 22 in Muncie, Ind.

WOMEN'S

UB 4, Akron 3

A spirited UB rally ended with the Bulls claiming their first MAC victory of the year, a 4-3 decision over Akron, in UB's home finale at the Village Glen Tennis Center on Friday.

Katrin Fischer ended the match with a three-set victory over Courtney Brenkus, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, at third singles to give the Bulls the team victory. Fischer needed to rally in the final game after falling behind 15-40. She won the next two points to reach deuce. After Brenkus gained the advantage on the next point, Fischer took the next three points to claim the win.

Fischer's win came just minutes after first singles player Miglena Nenova finished off her comeback win over Irina Strembitsky, the top-ranked player in the MAC and listed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's rankings at number 100. Nenova, who has been battling tendonitis much of the season, fell behind early, dropping the first set 6-1 and trailing 3-1 in the second set before she started her rally. Nenova rattled off five of six wins to take the second set, 6-4, and force the deciding third set. The UB freshman opened the third set by winning the first three games but allowed Strembitsky, who had been undefeated in singles play (15-0) to this point, to close the gap to 3-2. Nenova then finished the match by taking the final three games and tying the team score at 3-3.

UB (8-8, 1-6 MAC) also picked up singles victories from Kristen Ortman at number two and Onessa Williams at number six. Ortman defeated Diana Serafini in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5. Willliams knocked off Jennifer Ales, also in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.

Akron claimed a pair of singles wins as number four Stephanie Miles defeated UB's Lisa Wittman, 6-1, 6-0, and number five Mindy Price downed Michelle Kollarova, 6-3, 6-0.

The Zips also won the doubles point to begin the match by taking all three matches. At number one, Strembitsky and Serafini survived a grueling match against Nenova and Ortman, 8-6, with seven of the 14 games going to deuce. Brenkus and Price defeated Fischer and Kollarova, 8-2, at number two. Miles and Ales downed Wittman and Sheri Ugowski at number three, 8-0.

UB's Erica Zielinski won an exhibition match over Akron's Vero Duchesne, 8-5.

The Bulls will travel to Toledo and Eastern Michigan next weekend to close out the regular season.

Crew

UB takes three of five vs. Rhode Island and Radcliffe

A day after facing fierce competition from Northeastern, Dartmouth and Boston College, UB crew squads again took to the Charles River in Boston, emerging with three wins against squads from Rhode Island and Radcliffe. The second varsity eight team, as well as both novice eight squads, won their races, while the first varsity eight team fell to Rhode Island by a second and the varsity four crew placed second in a three-team race.

UB's second varsity eight team cruised to an easy victory over Rhode Island. The Bulls completed the 2,000-meter course in 7:25.2, while the Rams posted a 7:32.7 clocking. The UB entry consisted of Chandra Hazey in the stroke seat, Jessica Ecke in the seventh seat, Tracy Clarke in the sixth seat, Sara Sheffer in the fifth seat, Amy Aldridge in the fourth seat, Kristin Bender in the third seat, Karen Corey in the second seat, Stephanie Spinella in the bow seat and coxswain Caitlin Logue.

In the first novice eight competition, the Bulls crossed the finish line in 7:12.1, while Rhode Island finished in 7:14.2. UB's entry consisted of Corinne Blum in the stroke seat, Crysten Rushmore in the seventh seat, Andrea Lysiuk in the sixth seat, Marissa Ammendola in the fifth seat, Elizabeth McMahon in the fourth seat, Lindsay Rodgers in the third seat, Caitlin Hambridge in the second seat, Ginelle Michael in the bow seat and coxswain Abbie Potts.

The second novice eight team raced both Rhode Island and Radcliffe, Harvard's women's college. The Bulls finished in 7:48.8, with Radcliffe's novice lightweight team about a second behind at 7:50.0. Rhode Island was third in 8:15.1. It was the first time in UB history that a Bulls' crew had defeated a team from Harvard or Radcliffe. The UB entry included Katy Noviello in the stroke seat, Samantha Atlas in the seventh seat, Katherine Laub in the sixth seat, Caitlyn Lewis in the fifth seat, Rachel Albert in the fourth seat, Anna Cross in the third seat, Jacquie Zehler in the second seat, Katie Barnum in the bow seat and coxswain Jessica Buchheit.

Radcliffe exacted some revenge on UB in the varsity four race. The Radcliffe lightweight team defeated the Bulls by six seconds. Radcliffe posted an 8:05.00 finish to UB's 8:11.6. Rhode Island was third in 8:28.0. UB's boat included stroke seat Emilee Norris, third seat Joanne Olsen, second seat Jessica Barrell, bow seat Bonnie McVicker and coxswain Kaitlin Buchheit.

The first varsity eight race turned out to be the closest finish of the day.

In the two-team race, Rhode Island's entry raced to a 7:10.5 clocking, with the Bulls finishing in 7:11.4, a difference of 1.1 seconds. The Bulls' entry included Sandra Kisil in the bow seat, Kali Spoto in the seventh seat, Kasey Hansen in the sixth seat, Deanna Knighton in the fifth seat, Michelle Schwach in the fourth seat, Kat Vossler in the third seat, Mary Conniff in the second seat, Tara Celestini in the bow seat and coxswain Katie Johnson.

Football

Former Bull Ed Ellis signs with N.Y. Giants

Former UB football standout Ed Ellis signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants this week. Ellis, an eight-year veteran, has played 54 NFL games with seven starts. He previously played for New England, Washington and San Diego.

A big, tough tackle who has played on both the right and left sides, Ellis was a three-year starter for the Bulls, where he earned All-Independent honors from The Sporting News as a junior and All-America honors from the Gridiron Report the following year. Ellis helped the 1996 team to an 8-3 record, narrowly missing the Division I-AA playoffs.

He returns to the NFL, where he joins former Bull Omari Jordan of the Carolina Panthers. Three other ex-Buffalo stars are currently in NFL Europe: Drew Haddad, David Pruce (allocated by the New England Patriots) and Andre Forde (allocated by the Chicago Bears).