University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: April 13, 2006

Baseball

Game vs. Niagara, postponed to May 17
Game vs. Niagara, canceled due to snow
UB 4, Toledo 1
Toledo 3, UB 0
UB 11, Toledo 3

It was pitchers' day Saturday at Amherst Audubon Field as UB and Toledo managed just eight runs all day in a split of a Mid-American Conference doubleheader. UB won the first game, 4-1, before falling in the nightcap, 3-0.

Junior Adam Ruszkowski (3-1) pitched a gutsy eight innings in the first game for the Bulls, allowing 10 hits but stranding eight runners as he gave up just one run for a record-breaking ninth career win.

Senior first baseman James Kingsley took back the role of run producer, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI single and an RBI triple to pace the Bulls to the conference win.

In the second game, Toledo broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning with three runs, punctuated by back-to-back doubles.

Led by a 9-for-13, six-run performance from the 2-3-4 hitters, UB wrapped up its first MAC series win of the season with an 11-3 rout of Toledo on Sunday afternoon at Amherst Audubon Field.

The win gave the Bulls (7-21 overall, 2-7 MAC) their first series win ever against the Rockets (14-12 overall, 5-4 MAC).

Softball

Doubleheader vs. Central Michigan, canceled due to rain
Eastern Michigan 9, UB 1
Eastern Michigan 8, UB 5

Four games against MAC foes turned into two over the weekend as the Bulls' doubleheader against Central Michigan was rained out on Friday. UB then hosted Eastern Michigan in single contests on Saturday and Sunday, falling to the Eagles on both days. UB is now 9-28 overall, 1-5 in league play.

In Saturday's opener, a 9-1 loss for the Bulls, the Eagles got off to a quick start, hitting a two-run home run and then two bases loaded singles. The Bulls got out of the inning as they turned a double play.

UB got one back in the first inning when Mary Russell led the inning off with a home run to center field.

EMU extended its lead in the fourth inning scoring four runs, all with two outs. The Eagles had four straight hits, including a two-run home run to left center. Eastern Michigan added one more in the fifth inning, to go up by eight.

On Sunday, Eastern Michigan scored five unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh innings to defeat the Bulls, 8-5, at Nan Harvey Field. The Bulls outhit Eastern Michigan, but couldn't string the hits together late in the game as the Eagles completed the two-game sweep.

The Bulls will begin a 14-game road trip with a doubleheader at Akron tomorrow.

Tennis

WOMEN'S

UB 5, Eastern Michigan 2
UB 6, Toledo 1

UB snapped a three-match losing streak, sweeping a pair of matches over the weekend to even its MAC mark. UB opened with a 5-2 victory over visiting Eastern Michigan on Friday and then defeated Toledo, 6-1, on Saturday. UB is now 10-4 overall and 2-2 in MAC play.

Against Eastern Michigan, UB opened play by scoring the double point. The Bulls clinched the point as the number one team of Kristen Ortman and Miglena Nenova rallied to win a 7-5 tiebreaker over Vanessa Frankowski and Yana Parfenyuk. UB trailed the tiebreaker, 4-2, at the changeover before coming back to take five of the next six points. The Bulls had led the match, 6-0, before EMU picked up some steam and forced the breaker.

The singles matches were tight throughout the lineup, with three matches going the full three-set distance. With UB leading 3-2, the Bulls clinched the match when Nenova scored a victory over Andreea Krishnan in the number two contest. Nenova walked off the court with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over her opponent to give the Bulls the needed fourth point to claim the overall victory.

On Saturday, the Bulls swept all six singles matches to get past the Rockets after dropping the opening doubles point.

Outdoor Track and Field

Men finish second, women place fifth at Miami Invitational

UB put up some strong numbers on Saturday to conclude the Miami Invitational at Rider Track in Oxford, Ohio. The UB men finished second with 118 points, just five ahead of third-place Notre Dame among 12 teams. The UB women placed fifth in a 16-team field with 63.50 points. The host RedHawks won both the men's and women's meets with 204 and 164.50 points, respectively.

The UB men won six events while the women came away victorious in a pair of field events. Roy Richards had a phenomenal day for the Bulls with two individual victories and a relay win. Richards won his specialty event, the long jump, with a distance of 24-3.75 (7.41m), just missing his season-best mark by a quarter-inch. He also posted a win in the 100-meters in 10.96 seconds, establishing a season best in the event.

Richards also anchored UB's winning 4x100-meter relay team to a season-best finish of 41.70. The remainder of the foursome included Bryan Weinstein, Babaseyi Olaleye and Rob McRae.

Brian Heim tied his own school record and set a new Miami Invite mark to win the 400-meter hurdles in 51.95. The time qualified Heim for the NCAA East regional meet in May. Heim also helped the 4x400-meter relay team to a season-best clocking of 3:19.66 to place second. Heim, Olaleye, Weinstein and McRae made up the UB foursome.

Rayshon Higgins and Loic Sebuharara propelled the Bulls to a one-two finish in the triple jump. Higgins won the event with a leap of 46-8.75 (14.24m) while Sebuharara was right behind at 44-5.25 (13.54m).

Mike Giordano, in his first competition of the season, won the shot put with a toss of 50-0.75 (15.26m).

In the women's meet, Vanessa Roelofsen won the javelin, breaking her own school record and setting a new meet record in the process. In swirling winds that played havoc on all the throwers, Roelofsen's toss sailed 166-10 (50.85m), bettering her own school mark by nearly five feet. Her toss was also more than 35 feet (10.87m) better than the second-place throw.

Tina Villa took the top spot in the discus throw with a mark of 144-2 (43.94m). She also placed sixth in the shot put at 42-4.75 (12.92m).

Caitlin Godin tied for second in the high jump at 5-8.75 (1.75m), earning a berth in the regional competition.

On the track, Kate Kohout finished third in the 800-meters in. Stacy Downer was fourth in the 100-meters and Jenny Koeppel also finished fourth in the 1,500-meters. UB's 4x100-meter relay foursome finished fourth in a season-best 3:59.18.

The Bulls will compete at the Bucknell Bison Open this weekend.

Football

UB announces 2006 schedule

First-year head football coach Turner Gill will lead his team into arguably

the toughest Bulls schedule in history in 2006.

The Bulls will play a 12-game slate that features road contests at perennial national powers Auburn, Wisconsin and Boston College, as well as the usually demanding eight-game Mid-American Conference slate.

"This schedule is a great opportunity for us to play against quality opponents so that our student-athletes will know what it takes to compete at the highest level," said Gill. "It will prepare our football program for the present and the future."

The Gill era will kick off on Aug. 31 in UB Stadium when UB hosts Temple University in a non-conference contest at 7 p.m.

Crew

Bulls complete successful Knecht Cup regatta

Four UB boats reached the championship races of the Knecht Cup in Camden, N.J., over the weekend, giving the Bulls one of their strongest finishes at the event.

The Second Varsity 8 squad won the Grand Final, taking the championship race in 7:29.3, four seconds better than Colgate. The squad members included coxswain Margaret Devendorf and rowers Chandra Hazey, Bonnie McVicker, Joanne Olsen, Jessica Hughes, Jackie Stone, Nicole Cyr, Alexis Grates and Karen Corey.

Two other UB boats reached the Grand Final in their races. The Novice 8 finished second in 7:32.2 to MIT (7:25.9). The Varsity 8 was fourth in 7:22.2. Massachusetts took first place in 7:07.5.

The Bulls will renew the Harvey Cup rivalry on Saturday against Eastern Michigan. Racing will begin at 8 a.m. on Tonawanda Creek at Veterans Memorial Park in Amherst.