Bulls Overpowered in Doubleheader Sweep
BUFFALO, NY - Inconsistent pitching plagued the Buffalo baseball team Tuesday in its doubleheader against rival Niagara (15-18), leading to a pair of seven-inning losses. The Bulls (10-22) had a number of solid individual performances, but could not overcome an eager opposition and dropped game one 9-6 and game two 12-5.
Coming into the game with one of the best offenses in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Niagara showed why right away, posting four runs in the top of the first off of UB starter Cory Folk and scored six runs in total before chasing Folk after three innings.
Hoping to answer the Eagles, Buffalo took advantage of Niagara starter Tyler Spear's control issues and drew two walks to go with a pair of hits in the first inning, but a double play put a damper on the inning and UB went scoreless and left three runners on base. The team was able to crack the scoreboard with a run in the second inning on a Jason Kanzler sacrifice fly that scored Andy Smietana, who led off the inning with a single.
After two more runs by Niagara in the top of the third, Buffalo finally found its power stroke thanks to a two-run home run by Mike Burke that would also score Alex Baldock, who drew a two-out walk. The round-tripper was Burke's fourth of the season and his first since Mar. 28.
The closest Buffalo would come in game one would be in the fourth inning, when Kanzler hit a one-out double and was then driven in by Jon Mestas' single through the left side of the infield, making the score 6-4 in Niagara's favor. The Purple Eagles would tack on three runs over the next two innings off reliever Corey Paige to put the game out of reach. Buffalo would score a run in the sixth off a RBI groundout from Dan Scahill, and in the seventh on a double from Jordan Camp.
In game two, Burke moved to the mound to make the start, and he was unable to command the strike zone over his four innings of work, allowing eight runs on just six hits thanks to three walks and two hit batters.
Down 1-0 after the first inning, Buffalo earned its first and only lead of the day thanks again to the long ball. After River McWilliams led off the second inning with a screaming liner back up the middle, Mike Scarcello took a one-out offering from Niagara starter Anthony Caringi and hit it down the left field line, tucking it just fair over the wall to give UB a 2-1 lead. Seven unanswered runs in the third and fourth innings from Niagara would again be too much to overcome.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Bulls drove in two runs thanks to a barrage of hits to start the inning. Scarcello, Ryan Tulloch and Kanzler hit three straight singles that would score Scarcello and chase Caringi from the game. Thomas Richards would add a sacrifice fly to bring in Tulloch, but the Bulls again squandered a chance to cut even more into the deficit.
Trailing 12-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Buffalo put runners on first and second for Richards, and again he was able to convert with an RBI double that would score Kanzler. With two runners now in scoring position, UB went down in order to end the game.
Kanzler had the team's best combined performance, going 4-6 with two RBI and three runs scored in the pair of games.
Buffalo will be right back at it tomorrow, facing Canisius at 3 pm at Amherst Audubon Field.