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Bulls, Marshall Conclude Slugfest

Bryan Sanchez (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to cap a rally that saw the Bulls score 12 runs in the final three innings for a 15-14 win over Marshall last Friday. The win was the UB baseball squad's first as members of the Mid-American Conference.

The Bulls hit four home runs in the contest, as many as they had hit in their first 14 games of the year. Mike Flaherty (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) hit two round-trippers in the game including a seventh-inning grand slam to spark a UB rally after the Bulls were trailing 11-3 heading into the final three innings. Flaherty finished with a career-high seven RBIs. Brandon DiCesare (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) also homered for the Bulls, a three-run shot down the left field line in the eighth to tie the contest at 13-13.

UB collected 18 hits in the contest. Sanchez finished 4-of-5 at the plate with his four RBIs and scored three runs while Eric Huber (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) went 4-of-6, scoring a pair of runs. Designated hitter Joe Todoro (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) also scored three runs for the Bulls.

Freshman pitcher Bob Batdorf (Endwell, NY/Maine-Endwell) picked up the win, his second of the season, in relief for the Bulls. Batdorf went the final 2.1 innings allowing just a ninth-inning solo homer to Jason Brooks.

Unfortunately, that was the only win the Bulls could muster as they dropped three wild contests to the Thundering Herd to complete the weekend series. Marshall took a doubleheader on Saturday 10-2 and 22-8 before finishing with a 13-10 decision in Sunday's finale.

Huber went 8-for-18 in the four game series, scoring four runs. Huber is now riding a 10-game hitting streak and he leads the Bulls with a .441 batting average. Sanchez was a combined 7-for-15 over the weekend adding five runs scored while Kevin Brown (Amherst, NY/Amherst) went 6-for-16, also scoring five runs.

Going, Going, Gone

The Bulls hit seven home runs in the four-game series at Marshall and now have 11 on the season. In UB's previous 14 games, the Bulls had only managed four round-trippers. Mike Flaherty's two in the 15-14 win over the Thundering Herd on Friday gave him the team lead with three. Bryan Sanchez also cracked his second home run of the season in the win and now has 13 in his career, tying him for third on UB's all-time list with Jim Wojcik (1977-79) and Mike Dixon (1974-77). Four players, Tim Sova (Rochester, NY/Greece-Athena), Corey Blair (Oneida, NY/Oneida), Todoro and DiCesare all notched their first dingers of the season in West Virginia.

Weather Woes

UB's home opener against Niagara, originially scheduled for March 21, was forced to be postponed due to Western New York's wintry weather. Another blast of snow late Sunday night may pose problems for the Bulls' contest at Canisius on Wednesday although Canisius' Demske Complex is an artificial turf field and baring any more precipitation should be playable for the Bulls' first appearance in the city of Buffalo this season.