University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: March 31, 2005

Baseball

UB 8-3, UMBC 5-5
UB 7-2, Navy 2-0
UB 8, Navy 0

UB won four of five weekend contests in Maryland, splitting a doubleheader at University of Maryland-Baltimore County on Friday, then sweeping a three-game series at Navy that included a pair of shutouts. The Bulls (9-10) have won eight of the last 10 games for the first time since the program was reinstated in 2000.

In the doubleheader against the Retrievers, senior shortstop Joe Mihalics went 5-for-8 with two home runs, three runs and three RBIs to lead the Bulls. Mihalics accounted for all three runs for the Bulls in the second game, launching a one-out solo shot over the center field fence in the first inning and then adding a two-out, two-run shot to left field in the fifth inning to bring the Bulls within 4-3.

Sophomore hurlers Adam Ruszkowski and Mark Tourangeau each posted quality starts. Ruszkowski went six innings, allowing one earned run, and Tourangeau tossed a three-hit shutout to win 2-0 in the nightcap for the doubleheader sweep of Navy on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulls scored three runs in the first inning of the first game and never looked back, never falling behind in the 14-innings of the doubleheader.

Senior center fielder Phil Vanhorne led off with a single to left field. On the next play, he stole second and reached third when the catcher's throw went into center field. He scored on a groundout. Junior first baseman James Kingsley followed with a one-out double to left and after a groundout, sophomore catcher Dan Quinn continued his current hot streak with an RBI single to left center. Two consecutive Navy errors allowed Quinn to score.

Ruszkowski (3-1) worked in and out of trouble all day, leaving seven runners stranded and allowing nine hits in his six frames. However, he didn't walk anyone and struck out two to alleviate many jams-including the second inning when four Navy hits led to only one run, aided by a double play and leaving two runners on in the inning.

Staked to a 3-1 lead, UB tacked a run on in the fourth when Mihalics led off with a single and took second on an error by the pitcher. After a groundout, Mihalics scored on a single by junior designated hitter David Amaro.

In the top of the seventh, the Bulls opened up the game with three more runs, as Kingsley hit his 30th career double to lead off the inning. After an errant throw by the pitcher allowed Kingsley to score and Amaro to reach first, Amaro took second on a wild pitch. He scored on a single from senior right fielder Andrew Wengert. After another error—one of eight Navy miscues in the game—allowed Wengert to reach third, he scored on a fielder's choice.

In the second game, Tourangeau (1-1) tossed his second straight quality start after allowing three runs in six innings to Coppin State on March 17. The righthander allowed only six runners to reach base as he yielded just three hits, two walks and an error in the shutout. He struck out eight to take the team lead with 16 strikeouts in only 14.1 innings pitched.

UB took a 1-0 lead in the second inning as Wengert and sophomore second baseman Al Barbato each drew one-out walks. After a fielder's choice forced Barbato, Wengert scored on senior left fielder John Boom's single up the middle. UB took an insurance run in the seventh. Barbato doubled down the right field line to lead off. After a sacrifice moved him to third, Barbato scored on a sacrifice fly by Boom. Barbato was the lone Bull with two hits (2-for-2), as Navy's freshman Mark McCoy (1-2) allowed only five hits and two walks while going the distance. He struck out four.

The Bulls registered another strong pitching performance as senior Chris McGraw and junior Sean McWilliams combined on a seven-hit shutout to give the Bulls an 8-0 win over the Midshipmen.

UB took a 2-0 lead in the second inning as Mihalics got on base with a two-out bunt single. Kingsley reached on a high bouncer that was fumbled by the pitcher and Amaro followed with a single to score Mihalics. Quinn singled to load the bases and Wengert walked to score Kingsley. The Bulls added two more runs in the fourth inning when Kingsley drove in Vanhorne and Mihalics with a double down the left field line.

In the sixth, Buffalo pushed four more runs across as Wengert drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in Vanhorne. Mihalics then scored on a wild pitch and Barbato singled to center to drive in the final two runs.

That was more than enough for McGraw, who struck out six in seven innings, allowing six hits and walking one for UB's second shutout in a row. The Bulls haven't allowed an earned run in 21 innings.

Vanhorne went 3-for-5 to tie him for fifth-place in career hits at UB with Adrian Daniels (2000-03) with 158. Kingsley and Quinn each went 2-for-4, as Kingsley also added two RBIs. Wengert went 0-for-1 but had two RBIs and a run scored as he walked four times.

Buffalo will look to continue its hot streak at Akron for the MAC opener this weekend.

Softball

Marshall 4-4, UB 1-0
UB 3, Marshall 2

UB picked up one win in three games at Marshall to start the MAC portion of its 2005 schedule. On Friday, the Bulls (5-19, 1-2 MAC) dropped 4-1 and 4-0 decisions to the Thundering Herd, but rebounded on Saturday with a 3-2 win.

In Friday's doubleheader, UB plated its lone run in the third inning of the opener. Junior Lauren Picciano reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and then scored on a single by sophomore Mary Russell. In game two, the Thundering Herd scored all four of its runs on solo homers in the first, fourth and sixth innings. Pitcher Abigail Harter did the rest, holding the Bulls to just one hit and striking out seven in the complete-game shutout.

UB earned a come-from-behind 3-2 win in the series finale. The Bulls got on the board first in the top of the second inning when senior Ann Magur doubled to center, advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a groundout by freshman Kristen Jock. Marshall answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a two-out, two-run home run by Dee Tourville. UB then used a four-hit, two-run sixth inning to earn the victory.

Senior Julie Hibner led off the inning with a double to left center. Russell followed with a single to left that moved pinch runner Lisa Wheat to third. Freshman Lacy Schneider drove in Wheat with a single through the right side, and Russell then scored what would prove to be the game-winning run on a squeeze bunt by Magur.

The Bulls stranded three runners on base in the sixth and seventh innings, but senior Stacey Evans buckled down on the mound to preserve the one-run lead. She walked her first batter in the sixth before retiring the next three and then put the Herd down in order in the seventh for her third win of the year. Evans allowed four hits and two earned runs and struck out three.

The Bulls will travel to Kent State for a three-game series on Saturday and Sunday.

Tennis

MEN'S

UB 4, Toledo 3

Winning four of the six singles matches, including the deciding match in a third-set tiebreaker, UB rallied to defeat MAC rival Toledo, 4-3, Saturday night at the Village Glen Tennis Center in Williamsville. The Bulls improved to 5-7 overall and evened their league record at 1-1. The match lasted more than three hours and included six tiebreakers in the nine contests.

Senior Josh Liederman gave the Bulls a hard-fought win with his come-from-behind effort to defeat Toledo's Travis Curran at fourth singles. The two split the opening sets, with Liederman taking the first, 6-2, and Curran winning the second, 6-4. The third set remained close throughout as Liederman forced the extra session, taking the tiebreaker, 7-5.

Liederman's heroics were needed after Toledo had tied the match following the sixth-singles win by Cristobal Toral over UB's Albert Alant, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

UB's top three singles players also won their matches. Nick Zieziula and Mike Rockman had relatively easy efforts in their wins. Zieziula, at number one, blitzed past Tony Tran, 6-1, 6-4, while Rockman, at number two, knocked off Josh Moran, 6-2, 6-3. Third-singles player Yules Hadisubroto needed a first-set tiebreaker to get past Chris Clark. Hadisubroto took the match in straight sets, 7-6 (4), 6-3. At fifth singles, UB's Matt Kennedy fell to Freddy Gomez, 7-6 (7), 6-3.

Toledo opened the match by picking up the doubles point, with two contests decided in tiebreakers. Curran and Tran defeated Rockman and Liederman, 8-3, at number two, while Gomez and Toral outlasted Alant and Kennedy at number three, 9-8 (0). UB's top doubles tandem of Zieziula and Hadisubroto salvaged a victory, needing a 7-3 tiebreaker win to down Moran and Brian Rager, 9-8.

UB's win over the Rockets was the third consecutive for the Bulls, including last season's 4-1 win in the MAC Tournament and a 4-3 regular season win at Toledo.

The Bulls will host another strong MAC squad, Ball State, at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Village Glen.

WOMEN'S

UB 6, Toledo 1

Eastern Michigan 5, UB 2

UB split the opening weekend of MAC play, defeating Toledo, 5-1, on Friday but falling to Eastern Michigan, 5-2, on Saturday in matches played at the Village Glen Tennis Club. The Bulls are 5-2 overall and 1-1 in MAC play.

Against Toledo, UB secured the doubles point by taking two of the three matches. At number one, the UB duo of Miglena Nenova and Kristen Ortman rolled past Viviana Rivero and Sarah Horning, 8-2. The number-three team of Katrin Fischer and Sabrina Carmona clinched the point with an 8-3 win over Sarah Thompson and Ashley Carmack.

The Bulls took five of the six singles matches, dropping just the number one match as Myriam Cueva downed Nenova, 6-0, 6-1. The remainder of the matches fell in UB's favor, with three contests in straight sets. Andreea Novaceanu scored a 6-0, 6-1 drubbing of Rivero at number two. Ortman knocked off Daniella Moran, 6-1, 6-3, at number three and Tina Jacob downed Thompson, 6-1, 6-0, in the number-six match.

The fourth- and fifth-singles contests went down to the wire, with the Bulls taking super-tiebreakers in both matches. Fischer, at number four, defeated Horning, 10-4, in the super-tiebreaker after splitting the opening sets, 6-4 and 0-6. Carmona, at number five, remained perfect since joining the team in the second semester, downing Sarah VanderMolen 10-5 in the super-tiebreaker after rallying to force the extra play with a 6-4 win in the second set. VanderMolen took the first set by a 6-1 score.

On Saturday, UB was able to salvage just a pair of singles matches and one doubles contest. Nenova and Jacob claimed singles wins for the Bulls. Nenova, moving down to the number two spot on Saturday after playing first singles against Toledo on Friday, had little trouble defeating Elizabeth Syrova, 6-1, 6-2. Jacob, at sixth singles, needed a strong effort to rally past Flavia Micati. After Micati won the opening set, 6-3, Jacob tied the match with a 6-4 win in the second set and then took the super-tiebreaker, 10-7, to claim the point for the Bulls. Nenova and Ortman defeated Laura Fernandez and Micati, 8-6, in doubles play.

The Bulls will continue MAC play on the road tomorrow at Bowling Green and on Saturday at Ball State.

Outdoor Track and Field

Bulls complete Raleigh Relays

UB competed over the weekend at the annual Raleigh Relays. The meet, held at North Carolina State University, is one of the largest in the country, with more than 70 schools sending athletes.

UB freshman Vanessa Roelofsen was the top placer at the meet for the Bulls. Roelofsen won the women's javelin with a throw of 149-8 (45.63m). It was the second consecutive meet that she had won the event after setting the school record the previous week at the UNC-Wilmington Seahawk Invitational.

The UB women also posted three fourth-place finishes, including a pair by Faith Thompson. Thompson placed fourth in the shot put at 47-8.50 (14.54m) and in the hammer throw at 182-3 (55.56m). Kelli O'Brien broke the school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 11:05.19, six seconds better than Hollie Rhodes' 2002 mark.

For the UB men, Gary Asbach was the top individual finisher with a seventh-place showing in the long jump. Asbach cleared a season-best 23-0 (7.01m), two inches better than last week's showing at Wilmington.

UB will get its first taste of MAC opposition this weekend at Ohio University's McDonald's Invitational.