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Ruszkowski Has Record-Setting Day as Bulls Split MAC Twinbill

Adam Ruszkowski

BUFFALO, NY – It was a pitcher’s day Saturday at Amherst Audubon Field, as the University at Buffalo baseball team and Toledo managed just eight runs all day as the teams split a Mid-American Conference doubleheader, with UB winning the first game, 4-1 before falling in the nightcap, 3-0.

Junior Adam Ruszkowski (Utica, NY/Proctor) (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 record-breaking ninth career win. He walked one and struck out three, but induced two double plays to escape trouble, as he set the school record for wins since the team was reinstated in 2000, passing Tyler Balentine (2000-03) and John Sullivan (2000-03), who each had eight. He is just one win shy of becoming the 14th hurler in school history to reach 10 wins.

James Kingsley

Senior first baseman James Kingsley (Medina, NY/Medina) took back the role of run producer, as he finished 2-for-4 with an RBI single and an RBI triple to pace the Bulls (6-21 overall, 1-7 MAC) to the conference win.

The Bulls mounted a third-inning rally when freshman shortstop Brad Agustin (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville East) hit a one-out double that wrapped inside the third base line. Senior center fielder Carl Aquila (Alden, NY/St. Mary’s/Erie CC) followed with a liner that a diving right fielder couldn’t come up with, allowing Agustin to score and put Aquila on third. Kingsley followed with a single to right field, scoring Aquila.

The Rockets (14-11 overall, 5-3 MAC) answered with a run in the top of the fourth, as Scott Boley led off with a double and Drew Hoisington advanced him to third on a bunt single. However, Ruszkowski escaped further damage by inducing a double play grounder that tipped off his glove before sophomore second baseman Mike Folli (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) gobbled it up, stepped on the bag and fired to first for the double play.

Buffalo got back on the board in the bottom of the fourth, as senior left fielder David Amaro (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) reached second on a error in the outfield before taking third on a groundout. After a walk, he scored on a fielder’s choice.

Brad Agustin

Agustin flashed some leather for the Bulls in the top of the fifth, as he reached a Jake Oester grounder up the middle and while running into center fielder flipped the ball to first, where Kingsley scooped it for the out.

In the sixth, the Bulls flashed more leather, as with a runner on first and one out, Scott Boley grounded to third. Folli took the throw from third baseman Jacob Rosenbeck (Medina, NY/Medina) and hopped his to Kingsley, who scooped it without a problem to end the inning.

The Rockets threatened again in the top of the seventh, as the leadoff man singled and an error put two men on before a sac bunt put runners on second and third with one out. However, Ruszkowski settled down to strike out the next two batters, for just his second and third of the day.

The Bulls put another run on the board again in the bottom of the inning to take a 4-1 lead as Agustin was hit by a pitch and after batter’s interference, Kingsley offered a triple to deep right center.

Toledo kept pressure on, putting the first two runners on in the eighth, but Ruszkowski bore down to get a double play ball from cleanup hitter Dan Stong and then followed that up inducing a weak grounder to Folli from Scott Boley, stranding a runner on third.

In the ninth, however, reliever Steve Geltz (Ransomville, NY/Wilson) shut the Rockets down, allowing a walk but striking out three to earn his third save of the year, which puts him just one save shy of the school record.

Jason Watson went 4-for-4 for the Rockets and Jake Swint and Drew Hoisington also had two hits apiece.

Southpaw Joe Welsh (3-3) took the loss for Toledo, tossing six innings and allowing six hits and two earned runs, walking four and striking out two.

In the second game, Toledo broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning with three runs punctuated by back-to-back doubles from Jason Watson and Scott Boley.

Dan Quinn

Junior catcher Dan Quinn (Hamburg, NY/Frontier) snapped a 0-for-13 slump with a 3-for-4 game that included a double and freshman right fielder James Piazza (Amherst, NY/Williamsville North) went 2-for-3 to account for five of Buffalo’s seven hits.

Shane Wolf

The loss was sophomore southpaw Shane Wolf’s (Freeville, NY/Lansing) (0-5) third hard-luck conference start in a row, as he threw a season-high 7 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits, a walk and two runs. He struck out four to give him 42 on the season, which is just two strikeouts shy of entering the top 10 in a season since the school joined the MAC.

Southpaw Kyle Rawlings (5-1) finessed his way through the Bulls’ lineup, allowing six hits and two walks in seven shutout innings, striking out three. The lefty is in the top five in the conference in ERA and wins. Joe Roberts picked up his 10th save of the year, tossing a scoreless ninth with a strikeout.

Hoisington and Swint added two more hits apiece for the Rockets in the nightcap.

The Bulls and Rockets cap off their three-game set with a 1:00 pm Sunday rubber match at Amherst Audubon Field.