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Adam Ruszkowski

BOWLING GREEN, OH - Sophomore Adam Ruszkowski (Utica, NY/Proctor) tied a University at Buffalo baseball team record since the reinstatement of the team in 2000 with his fourth win of the season, as Buffalo held down the Mid-American Conference's leading offense in Bowling Green, winning 6-4 on Saturday afternoon at Stellar Field.

Ruszkowski (4-1) pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits, three walks and four runs, but only three were earned. He struck out two, as he managed to get out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the sixth inning by inducing an inning-ending double play.

Tony Kurtz

Freshman Tony Kurtz (Newfane, NY/Newfane) was just as sparkling as he earned his first career save. Coming into the game with two outs and runners on first and second in the seventh, Kurtz got a fly ball. In the eighth, he struck out the side and again retired the side in order in the ninth. The righthander finished with four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. He is 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 18 innings this year.

Buffalo (11-13 overall, 1-2 MAC) stopped a four-game conference win streak for Bowling Green (19-8 overall, 4-4 MAC), who came into the weekend tied with Ball State for the best-hitting offense in the league, batting .308.

The Bulls scored four runs in the second inning as sophomore catcher Dan Quinn (Hamburg, NY/Frontier) led off with an infield single and junior designated hitter Aaron Otto (Lockport, NY/Newfane) followed with a single. Junior catcher David Amaro (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) reached on an error by the pitcher to load the bases and senior center fielder Phil Vanhorne (Scarborough, Ontario/Mother Teresa) singled to score Quinn. A sac fly brought in Otto and senior left fielder John Boom (London, Ontario/Catholic Central) scored Amaro. After a fielder's choice, a single from freshman third baseman Mike Folli (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) scored Boom.

David Amaro

The Falcons notched a tally in the bottom of the second to make it 4-1, but the Bulls answered back in the third with the crushing blow. Quinn led off with a walk and after a strikeout, Amaro sent his second home run of the year over the left field fence to make it 6-1. After that, reliever Keith Laughlin was in control for the Falcons, striking out 10 and allowing four hits in seven innings.

Bowling Green tacked on two runs in the third to make it 6-3 on the strength of one hit, a walk and an error, but until the seventh, when Ruszkowski gave up two singles and a walk with two outs, couldn't score on the Bulls.

Kyle Knoblauch (0-2) took the loss for the Falcons, giving up five hits and four runs, two earned in 1 1/3 innings. Greg Becker finished the final two outs in relief of Laughlin.

Folli led the Bulls with a 2-for-3, one-RBI game and Vanhorne also went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Andy Hudak, the MAC's leading hitter, went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run for the Falcons and Bobby Majer also went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Senior shortstop Joe Mihalics (Tonawanda, NY/Timon-St.Jude) extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a fourth inning single to right field for Buffalo.

Buffalo and Bowling Green meet in the final game of the three-game set at Stellar Field at 1:00 pm on Sunday.