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Sullivan Wins Mound Honors

Right-handed pitcher John Sullivan (Buffalo, NY/Timon/St. Jude) earned the Mid-American Conference East Division Pitcher of the Week award. Sullivan took the honor after his brilliant two-hit victory over St. Bonaventure as part of the Homestead Classic on March 8.

Sullivan went the distance against the Bonnies in his first start of the season allowing just a pair of singles and an unearned run in UB's 5-1 win. Sullivan also struck out five in the seven hit gem.

The sophomore currently stands with a 1-1 record on the hill with a 2.79 earned run average. Sullivan took the loss in the Bulls' season opener at Florida International in relief.

The honor is the first bestowed to a Bulls baseball player by the Mid-American Conference. This season is UB's first as a member of the league after playing the 2000 season, their first since dropping the program in 1986, as an independent.

UB Returns North After Florida Trip

The Bulls finished the Florida portion of their schedule with a 2-8 mark. UB picked up a pair of wins on March 8, taking a 14-5 victory over Mt. St. Mary's and followed with a 5-1 decision over St. Bonaventure later that afternoon. UB finished the weekend with a 13-2 loss to Sacred Heart on March 9 and a hard-fought 3-2 loss to Manhattan.

At The Plate

As a team, the Bulls returned from the Homestead Challenge with a .254 batting average. Junior college transfer Tim Sova (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) made his debut with the Bulls to lead the team with a .414 batting average and .553 on-base percentage. Sova, the Bulls' left fielder, started the season hitting ninth in the batting order, but moved into the second slot against Villanova.

Eric Huber (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park), who was sidelined with a broken ankle the entire 2000 season, made his 2001 debut leading the Bulls with 14 hits and eight RBIs in nine contests. Huber is second on the club with a .400 batting average.

The Bulls are tied for the team lead with one home run apiece including last season's leader first baseman Bryan Sanchez (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy). Sanchez set a single-season record with 11 dingers in 2000 and is now tied for fifth on UB's all-time home run list with 12. Sanchez is hitting .364, third on the club with seven RBIs and a team-best .545 slugging percentage. Mike Flaherty (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) and Adrian Daniels (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) also homered on the Florida trip. Danels also leads the Bulls with two stolen bases.

On The Mound

UB's team ERA stands at 6.16 in their ten contests this season. Freshman Mike Leslie (Suffern, NY/Suffern) pitched five innings in two relief appearances and leads the squad with 1.80 earned run average. Starters John Sullivan and Anthony Puccia (Penfield, NY/Penfield) turned in 2.79 and 2.84 ERA's respectively while in Florida. Opponents are hitting just .167 off of Puccia while Sullivan has allowed just a .171 average in his two appearances. Puccia leads the staff with 13 strikeouts while Jeff Robertson (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore West) is second with ten.

On Deck

The Bulls travel to Emmitsburg, Maryland for a pair of doubleheaders against Mt. St. Mary's this weekend. The Bulls defeated the Mountaineers 14-5 during the Homestead Challenge. The squads split their 2000 doubleheader with the Bulls falling in the opener 6-1 while taking the nightcap 8-4. UB opens their home schedule with a doubleheader against Niagara at Dunn Tire Park on March 21 at 1:00 pm.