UB Posts Extra Innings Win Against WMU, 5-4

Folli's RBI-double in 12th inning boosts Bulls in weekend's first game

Mike Folli

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo baseball team rallied past the Western Michigan Broncos in extra innings Friday evening, 5-4. The two teams endured the frigid elements, only to see the Bulls prevail to their third Mid-American Conference victory of the season after successfully hitting a season-high 18 times.

Junior Mike Folli (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) provided the late-game heroics by driving in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning. Sophomore Chris Ciesla (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) hammered two doubles of his own from the cleanup spot to lead the offensively-minded Bulls (4-23, 3-7 MAC).

Chris Ciesla

WMU's Joe Sheets landed a triple in the third inning to build the early momentum for the Broncos (8-17, 3-5 MAC). Zach Gentile would bring Sheets home with a double, later scoring in the inning to accumulate an early 2-0 lead. The Bulls answered back with back-to-back one-run innings in the fourth and fifth to chizzle at the lead, as freshmen Bobby Pizzuto (Mentor, OH/Notre Dame Cathedral) and Adam Skonieczki (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) each slapped singles to move the offense, with Skonieczki adding the run. Both players would end with UB career single-game bests with three hits in the ballgame.

The Bulls captured the lead in the seventh after capitalizing on a WMU pitcher Drew Mahan throwing error. Folli scored from second and Pizzuto would advance to third from first after Mahan's pick off attempt sailed past his first baseman. Pizzuto would later score off a long Ciesla single that landed in center field. In their next at-bat, the Broncos tacked on the tying run following a UB wild pitch from sophomore Zach Anderson (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville East).

The Williamsville native would have his redemption though, as he pitched five innings of three-hit relief to allow his team to take the win in the 12th frame. He had three strikeouts to complement UB's starting pitcher, senior Mike Radanovic's (Surrey, British Columbia/L.A. Matheson), who recorded a season-best 12-strikeouts in seven innings.

The teams have two more games remaining to be played this weekend, but because of possible unplayable weather on Sunday , the games will be played in a doubleheader on Saturday at Amherst Audobon Field. The first game is scheduled for noon.

04/13/2007