Bulls Sweep Big Four Rival Niagara in Doubleheader

Bulls score 13 runs in the third inning of opener; Capture nightcap victory with five-run sixth inning

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo baseball team swept Big Four rival Niagara University in a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday at the Amherst Audubon Field. In the opener, the Bulls exploded for 13 runs in the third inning to propel them to a 21-11 victory. In the nightcap, the Bulls followed with a dramatic 13-11 come-from behind victory by scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Following two scoreless innings in the opener, the Purple Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning.

Brad Agustin

The Bulls quickly erased the Purple Eagles lead with a 13-run third inning. The Bulls tied the Purple Eagles when Charlie Karstedt hit a two-RBI triple to score Adam Skonieczki and Brad Agustin. The Bulls established a 3-2 lead as Chris Ciesla singled to left field to drive in Karstedt. Shivam Bhan continued to build on the Bulls lead with a two-RBI single to right-center field to score Jacob Rosenbeck and Rob Lawler for the Bulls’ 6-2 lead. A few batters later with the bases loaded, Agustin smashed a grand slam to deep right-center to propel the Bulls to an 11-2 lead, scoring Bhan, Eric Flynn and Skonieczki.

The Purple Eagles soared back with back-to-back four-run innings in the top of the fourth and fifth however, the Bulls managed to score four-run innings in the bottom of the fourth and sixth off two three-RBI triples, both to right field.

Charlie Karstedt

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, Karstedt cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple, scoring Agustin, Flynn and Bhan to take a 16-6 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Bhan also cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple to right field to extend the Bulls’ lead to 21-11.

Karstedt and Bhan each had a team-high five RBIs with Karstedt going 4-for-6 and Bhan going 3-for-5. Agustin went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and three runs.

Each Bull managed to cross the plate with Agustin, Karstedt, Lawler and Bhan each crossing a team-high three times.

Jeffrey Hains

Reliever Jeffrey Hains (1-1) picked up the win for the Bulls in 2.2 innings of work.

In the nightcap, the Bulls took a 3-1 lead in the first inning off two mistakes by the Purple Eagles. The first run came off a wild pitch by Niagara starter Chris Coleman. The Bulls scored their next two runs off a missed throw at first, advancing Rosenbeck to second while scoring Lawler and Karstedt.

The Bulls and Purple Eagles exchanged two runs in the third inning with the Bulls remaining in the lead in the bottom of the third, 5-3.

In the top of the fourth, the Purple Eagles captured a 7-5 lead off a three-run home run by designated hitter Trevor Rutkowski.

Chris Ciesla

The Bulls managed to recapture the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Leading off the Bulls was Lawler with a solo shot to deep left-center field to pull the Bulls within one. The Bulls recaptured the lead with two runs off pitching errors by Coleman including a wild pitch and a balk, 8-7.

In the top of the sixth, the Purple Eagles scored four runs to recapture an 11-8 lead including a three-RBI triple by Brian Deering.

Down by three runs in the bottom of the sixth, Ciesla crushed a three-run shot to tie the game at 11-11. Facing two outs, Bobby Pizzuto lined a two-RBI double to center for the Bulls’ eventual 13-11 victory.

Zach Anderson

Ciesla went 2-for-4 with two runs and a team-high three RBIs. Lawler went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a team-high three runs.

Zach Anderson (3-3) closed out the Bulls’ victory in 1.1 innings of work, striking out three Purple Eagles.

The Bulls (12-17, 1-7 MAC) will return to conference play as they host Mid- American Conference opponent Western Michigan in a three-game weekend series on April 10-12. The first game of the weekend series is scheduled for Friday, April 10 with the first pitch set for 3:00 pm.