University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: April 10, 2008

Baseball

St. Bonaventure 5, UB 0
St. Bonaventure 3, UB 1
Ball State 3, UB 1
Ball State 16, UB 1
Ball State 9, UB 3

UB lost both games of a doubleheader on April 2 at St. Bonaventure, dropping game one, 5-0, and falling in game two, 3-1.

St. Bonaventure got on the board first in game one when a leadoff walk in the second inning resulted in the first run of the contest. The Bonnies added to their lead in the fifth with four runs, the biggest hit coming on a two-run homer to left field.

Rob Mancini had a pair of hits, including a double, in the first game of the doubleheader for the Bulls.

In the nightcap, Jacob Rosenbeck gave the Bulls a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth when he singled through the right side, scoring Shivam Bhan, who singled earlier in the inning. Bhan had a pair of hits in game two for UB.

But St. Bonaventure took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when a walk and a trio of hits led to three runs for the Bonnies.

Jesse Reinstein started game two for the Bulls and was outstanding in three innings of work, striking out six; he also picked off a pair of St. Bonaventure base runners.

After Friday’s opener against Ball State was postponed, the Bulls dropped both games of Saturday’s doubleheader to the Cardinals. The Cardinals took game one, 3-1, and the nightcap, 16-1.

In the first game, Nick Walczak gave the Bulls a 1-0 lead when he led off the fourth inning with a home run to right field. The solo shot was Walczak’s second hit of the game; he doubled to left in the second inning.

Ball State answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score, took the lead in the sixth and got an insurance run in the seventh.

Jeffrey Hains threw a complete game for UB, scattering eight hits in eight innings of work and only walking one. Just two of the three runs Hains allowed were earned.

In game two, Brian Randazzo opened the game with a double to left field and scored two batters later when Rosenbeck doubled to right, giving the Bulls a 1-0 lead.

Ball State scored three runs in the bottom of the first, the biggest hit being a triple to right center. The Cardinals tacked on three more runs in the second, six in the sixth and four in the seventh to complete the scoring.

UB fell in the final game of the series at Ball State on Sunday afternoon, dropping the contest 9-3. Chris Ciesla had three hits in the game for the Bulls and Mancini added a pair of hits.

The loss dropped UB to 7-20 overall, 2-6 in the Mid-American Conference.

Softball

Canisius 6, UB 2
UB 5, Canisius 3
Ohio 6, UB 5
UB 6, Ohio 4
Akron 6, UB 4
Akron 12, UB 2

UB split its doubleheader against cross-city rival Canisius on April 2, defeating the Griffs, 5-3 in the nightcap after suffering a 6-2 setback in the day’s first game.

In their game-two victory, the Bulls battled back, scoring four runs in the top of the third after allowing Canisius to tack three on the board through the first two innings.

Candice Sheehan singled to start the inning and Kristen Gallipani moved her over after reaching on a fielder’s choice. Erin Zilka loaded the bases after reaching on a fielding error and Mary Russell then roped a big two-RBI single through the right side.

UB was then able to score two more in the inning when Russell stole a base that drew a throw that allowed Marcy Hansen to steal home. Wendy Sheehan also hit an RBI single to complete the four-run Bulls’ scoring drive.

UB scored one more run in the top of the fourth when Hansen hit an RBI triple and after holding Canisius scoreless for the rest of the game, the Bulls emerged with the 5-3 win.

Katie Ivancich got the win on the mound, recording four strikeouts and picking up the first win of her career.

In the day’s opener, Canisius jumped out to a 4-2 lead after four innings. After two scoreless innings from both teams, the Griffs posted two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the 6-2 win.

Sharon Barr had a solid game for UB, finishing the game 1-for-2 with a solo homer from the plate while throwing the complete game on the mound.

The Bulls opened up the Mid-American Conference portion of their schedule on Friday against the Ohio Bobcats in a doubleheader in Athens. UB split with the Bobcats, taking the nightcap, 6-4, while suffering a tight 6-5 setback in the opening game.

Gallipani provided powerful offense for Buffalo, hitting a three-run homer in the fourth inning of the second game to help secure UB’s first conference win of the season. Ivancich was solid on the mound for the Bulls, throwing the complete game to garner her second win of the season.

Hansen finished the day with three hits, while Russell, Zilka, Alex Bejarano and Barr recorded two hits each.

In the day’s opener, the Bulls posted a four-run sixth inning to rally after trailing, 5-1, for most of the contest. Ohio, however, was able to break the 5-5 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning to steal the victory.

In the nightcap, the Bulls got off to a quick start, scoring three runs in the top of the first. With one down, Hansen singled to left field and moved to second when Russell reached on an error. With two outs, Barr singled to plate the game’s first run and Bejarano followed, roping a double to score both Russell and Barr, giving the Bulls a 3-0 advantage.

After two-and-a-half scoreless innings, UB plated three more in the fourth. Bejarano drew a walk and was moved to second on a Candice Sheehan bunt. Gallipani then roped a three-run homer to give Buffalo a 6-0 advantage.

The Bobcats, however, made things interesting, sending three across in the bottom of the fourth and another in the bottom of the fifth to set the score at 6-4 heading into the sixth.

UB finished strong, though, holding Ohio scoreless over the final two innings to secure the 6-4 victory.

UB continued its weekend road swing on Saturday, facing MAC foe Akron. Despite putting up a good fight, the Bulls suffered a 6-4 setback on the day.

Zilka had a strong showing offensively for UB, finishing the day 3-for-4 with two RBIs, including a solo home run in the first inning.

After Zilka put the Bulls up by one in the top of the first, the Zips scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning.

UB responded, however, scoring two more runs in the top of the second. Bejarano drew a walk to lead things off and advanced after tagging up on a caught foul ball. With one out, Sheehan singled to advance Bejarano to third. Gallipani knocked in Bejarano after reaching on a fielder’s choice. Zilka then picked up her second RBI of the game after poking a single to score Sheehan to tie the game, 3-3.

UB held Akron scoreless through the next two innings and took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth. With one out, Sheehan picked up her second hit of the game and later advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Zilka drew a walk, Hansen singled to load the bases and Russell followed with a single of her own to score Sheehan and give UB the lead.

Akron, however, posted a three-run fifth to take a 6-4 lead—and ultimately the win—as neither team was able to score for the rest of the game.

The Bulls finished the series against Akron on Sunday with a 12-2 loss.

UB will continue the MAC portion of its schedule on Friday, taking on Northern Illinois in DeKalb.

Tennis

MEN’S

Northern Illinois 7, UB 0

UB dropped a 7-0 decision to Northern Illinois Saturday afternoon in MAC competition. The Bulls are now 5-15 overall and 0-4 in league play.

The lone win for the Bulls came in the doubles competition. The number-three tandem of Kirill Kolomyts and Alexis Lluis knocked off NIU’s Alfonso Monroy and Matt Hansen by an 8-5 score. However, the Bulls were unable to claim the doubles point, dropping both the number-one and two matches by identical 8-2 scores.

The Bulls were swept in the singles competition, with five of the six matches going to NIU in straight sets.

The Bulls will complete their MAC schedule at Ball State on Sunday and then face Vincennes on Monday.

WOMEN’S

Bowling Green 4, UB 3
Western Michigan 6, UB 1

UB began its three-match road trip on the short end of a 4-3 decision Friday afternoon against the Bowling Green Falcons. Each team picked up three victories in singles play, but BGSU was able to claim the doubles point.

In singles play, the Bulls won three matches: beginning at first singles as Andreea Novaceanu at first singles, Diana Popescu at second singles and Smaranda Stan at fourth singles.

On Saturday, the Bulls fought hard during their match against the Western Michigan Broncos, but fell short, losing 6-1 to the defending MAC champions.

The Bulls picked up individual wins in both singles and doubles and are now 7-7 on the season and 2-3 in the MAC.

The Bulls’ lone point came when Stan won her match at fourth singles, defeating Emily Dudzik, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Stan now has 21 singles victories on the year, which ties her for the team lead.

The Bulls are back in action tomorrow, traveling to Akron to take on the Zips.

Crew

Varsity eight finishes third at San Diego Classic

UB put forth a great performance at the San Diego Crew Classic, finishing in third place in the finals for the Sam Adams/Mesa Distributing Cup.

The varsity eight boat—Sher Briggs, Melina DiCosimo, Tara Rudkowski, Bridget Yannes, Alana Sharpe, Brittany Aiello, Lauren Sexton, Cathleen Streicher and Maggie Fairgrieve—started in the six spot in the race and had a great second leg that moved the boat into second in the race. The Bulls ended up finishing in third at 6:51.28, just a little over a second behind the second-place team, San Diego. UC-Davis won the race at 6:47.33, which was less than four seconds better than UB's time.

The Bulls had the distinction of being the only crew from the East in Sunday's final.

The remainder of the team raced Bucknell University in a dual meet on the Susquehanna River. The Bulls fought hard in each of the five races, but came up short in all five. UB’s novice four boat finished at 10:00.46, a little more than five seconds behind Bucknell’s time of 9:55.22.

The Bulls are back in action this weekend as the full crew heads to the Knecht Cup in Camden, N.J.