Amherst Audubon Field Set to Host Big 4 Classic

Local College Baseball Tournament Moves Back to College Campus in late April

Bill Breene

BUFFALO, NY – After two years at Dunn Tire Park, the Big 4 Baseball Tournament is moving to the East side of town and next to the heart of the biggest college in the Big 4 for the third installment of the annual tournament, as the University at Buffalo will host the four-game tournament at Amherst Audubon Field on Tuesday, April 25 and Wednesday, April 26.

The tournament, which was won by Niagara in 2004 and St. Bonaventure in 2005, features Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rivals Canisius (8-22 overall) and Niagara (15-13 overall), Mid-American Conference member Buffalo (7-21 overall) and Atlantic 10 member St. Bonaventure (9-9 overall) in a two-day tournament with first-round games on Tuesday and a third-place game and finals being played on Wednesday.

The initial seedings of the tournament are set by the results of the previous year, meaning 2005 runner-up Canisius will play third-place team Buffalo in the first game at 3:00 pm on Tuesday. Canisius will serve as the home team, even though it is the Bulls' home field. St. Bonaventure will serve as the home team in the second game, as it faces Niagara at 6:00 pm. On Wednesday, once again, the home team will be done by seeding, with the third-place game starting at 3:00 pm before the championship game at 6:00 pm.

In last year's tournament, Canisius beat Niagara in a wild, 10-inning, 8-7 affair in the first round to send it to the tournament finals, while St. Bonaventure handled Buffalo, 5-2 in the opener. Buffalo rallied behind an eight-inning performance from Tony Kurtz (Newfanne, NY/Newfane) in his first collegiate start to down Niagara, 10-3, in the third-place game. St. Bonavenure wrapped up its first Big 4 Championship with a 12-3 win against Canisius in the title game, led by a three-RBI performance from Brian Pelligrini.

The Bulls permanently moved into 500-seat Amherst Audubon Field, across from UB's North campus next to the Amherst Pepsi Center, in 2003 and have compiled a 28-38-1 record in six seasons at the field. Head coach Bill Breene has helped make significant improvements at the stadium, including retaining a new drainage system and a new fence for the town of Amherst ballpark, making it one of the finest baseball facilities in Western New York.

St. Bonaventure's games during the Big 4 Classic will be broadcast on WHDL 1450 AM, with access to the broadcast also available online through www.gobonnies.com for subscribers of Bonnies All-Access Monthly CSTV Media.


04/11/2006