Ciesla Walk-Off Home Run Completes Comeback Win, 9-8

Bulls come from 8-1 down to defeat Miami, 9-8, in 10 innings

Chris Ciesla

BUFFALO, NY – Chris Ciesla's (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) walk-off home run to lead off the 10th inning gave the University at Buffalo baseball team a 9-8 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Friday afternoon at Amherst Audubon Field. The home run capped a dramatic, come-from-behind victory in which the Bulls trailed 8-1 headed to the bottom of the eighth.

Miami opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second as Adam Eaton scored on a single to right field by John Hornke.

Buffalo answered with a solo home run to left field by Rick Oliveri (Tonawanda, NY/Canisius) to tied the score at 1-1 in the third. The home run was the first of the season for Oliveri.

Rick Oliveri

The RedHawks regained the lead with a run in the top of the fourth and extended their lead to 5-1 with three runs in the fifth. Chris Nadeau, Eaton and J.D. Mynhier each had a RBI single in the fifth for Miami.

Three more runs for Miami in the top of the eighth increased the RedHawk lead to 8-1. Tommy Nurre had the big hit of the inning for Miami with a two RBI double to left center.

Buffalo began to make their comeback in the bottom of the eighth when they answered Miami's three runs with three of their own. Shivam Bhan (Caledon, Ontario/Mayfield) and Rob Mancini (Windsor, Ontario/St. Thomas) each reached base via errors to begin the inning. They both scored when Oliveri doubled to right center. Oliveri was 2-for-4 with three RBI's on the day for the Bulls. Later in the inning, Adam Skonieczki (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) doubled to right center, scoring Oliveri, to cut the Miami lead to 8-4.

Adam Skonieczki

UB continued their rally with four runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 8-8. Ciesla walked to begin the inning and Nick Walczak (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East) followed with a single. Bhan then doubled to right center, scoring Ciesla and cutting the Miami lead to 8-5. Mancini continued the UB hit parade with a single to right, scoring E.J. Folli (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott), who had come in to pinch run for Walczak. After Miami's Samuel Dawes recorded a strike out for the first out of the inning, Trevor Blair (Oneida, NY/Oneida) singled down the right field line, scoring Bhan and bringing the Bulls to within a run. Brian Randazzo (St. Charles, MO/St. Charles) then walked to load the bases and Skonieczki tied the game with a sacrifice fly to center field. Miami got out of the inning when Jacob Rosenbeck (Medina, NY/Medina) lined out to the third baseman for the final out of the inning.

After Steve Geltz (Ransomville, NY/Wilson) came on to pitch a perfect 10th inning for the Bulls, Ciesla completed the Buffalo comeback with a blast over the center field fence to lead off the UB half of the 10th. The home run was the second of the season for Ciesla and gave him a team-high 18 runs batted in.

With the win, Buffalo improves to 9-23 on the season, 3-9 in the Mid-American Conference. Miami falls to 11-24, 3-10 in the MAC.

The Bulls and the RedHawks will be back on the diamond at Amherst Audubon Field on Saturday for game two of their three-game conference series. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m.

04/18/2008