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Heart of Order Rockets Buffalo Past Toledo, 11-3

Brad Agustin

BUFFALO, NY – Led by a 9-for-13, six-run performance from the 2-3-4 hitters, the University at Buffalo baseball team wrapped up its first Mid-American Conference series win of the season with an 11-3 rout of Toledo on a brisk, sunny, Sunday afternoon at Amherst Audubon Field. 

The win gives the Bulls (7-21 overall, 2-7 MAC) their first series win ever against the Rockets (14-12 overall, 5-4 MAC), after dropping two of three in MAC action in 2004 and 2005.

Carl Aquila

Freshman Brad Agustin (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville East) sparked the Bulls all afternoon, going 3-for-5 with two runs, a double, a homer and two RBIs. Three-hole hitter senior Carl Aquila (Alden, NY/St. Mary’s/Erie CC) followed with a 3-for-5 game, scoring twice, hitting two doubles and driving in one. Cleanup hitter James Kingsley (Medina, NY/Medina) added a 3-for-3 performance, scoring twice and also reaching twice on walks, raising his average to .279 (31-for-111).

Sean McWilliams

It wasn’t just the hitting that was solid, as senior Sean McWilliams (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua) (3-3) pitched brilliantly for the Bulls after struggling in the first inning. He settled down to retire 11 straight batters from the second to the fifth innings. He also pitched himself out of a bases-loaded-one-out jam in the sixth inning, getting a big strikeout and then a groundout to end the threat. He ended his day by retiring the side in order in the seventh.

Tossing seven innings, McWilliams allowed just two runs and five hits. He walked two and struck out three as he capped a weekend in which Bulls’ hurlers allowed just seven runs in 27 frames.

The Rockets started out strong as Joel Visser led off with a single before Jake Swint tripled into the gap to score the run and Jason Watson followed with a sac fly to make it 2-0.

The Bulls cut into the margin in the bottom of the inning, as Agustin drove a pitch 350 feet over the left field fence.

Eric Mruczak

Buffalo rallied in the second inning, scoring four runs to take control, as freshman designated hitter Eric Mruczak (Batavia, NY/Batavia) led off with a single and freshman right fielder James Piazza (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville North) drew a one-out walk. Sophomore Mike Folli (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) followed with the first of three straight doubles, blasting a pitch to the left-center gap scoring Mruczak and an outfield error brought in Piazza. Agustin followed with a shot of his own that one-hopped the left-center fence and Aquila continued with another one-hopper of the fence to give the Bulls a 5-2 lead.

The Bulls kept the heat on with three more runs in the fourth forcing Rockets’ starter Levi Curry from the mound as Aquila doubled with one out and Kingsley followed with a single. After a strikeout, senior left fielder David Amaro (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) delivered with a single down the left field line to score a run. After a hit batter loaded the bases, Curry was replaced by Jeff Cinadr, who was greeted rudely with a two-RBI single that plopped in near the right field line from Mruczak.

Three more crossed in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a two-out hit from Aquila before Kingsley was intentionally walked, setting up a towering 365 foot shot over the left field fence from junior Dan Quinn (Hamburg, NY/Frontier).

David Amaro

Mruczak also added three of Buffalo’s 16 hits, finishing 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run and Amaro went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.

Freshman Steve Geltz (Ransomville, NY/Wilson) tossed a perfect ninth to close out the game for Buffalo, striking out two to push him up to 26 strikeouts in as many innings this season.

Curry (2-3) took the loss for Toledo, going 3 2/3 innings, allowing 10 hits and eight runs, after the southpaw entered the game with a 3.09 ERA.

Buffalo will look to keep rolling on Tuesday when it hosts Canisius in a Big 4 rivalry game at Amherst Audubon Field at 2:00 pm.