The Week in Review

The Bulls dropped a doubleheader to St. Bonaventure, 5-0 and 7-2 to open the week. UB then traveled to Akron for a four-game Mid-American Conference series with the Zips. The Bulls dumped their hosts, 15-1, in Friday's opener as Brendan Dunford (Buffalo, NY/Timon/St. Jude) tossed a complete game, striking out nine, allowing just a first-inning run.

UB fell in a doubleheader on Saturday, 21-3 and 16-5. Bryan Sanchez (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) hit a three-run homer in the nightcap for the Bulls.

UB closed the weekend with a heart-breaking 9-8 10-inning loss. The Bulls broke a 6-6 tie in the top of the ninth as Kevin Nesteruk (Cheektowaga, NY/West Seneca East) and Tim Sova (Rochester, NY/Greece-Athena) were hit by pitches with the bases loaded. Akron then rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, Sean Manfredonia plated Ty Moorhead with the winning run for the Zips. Brandon DiCesare (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit), Sanchez and Eric Huber (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) all homered for the Bulls. Sanchez's solo shot in the seventh followed a two-run blast by DiCesare and gave the UB third baseman his 11th oundtripper of the season. It tied his single-season record set last year and increased his school-record career total to 22.

Schedule Change

The Bulls will face Canisius at Dunn Tire Park on Tuesday, May 1 at 3:00 pm. The change was made due to the fact that UB's scheduled opponent, Brock University of Canada, was unable to field a team for the 2001 season.

UB then moves to its home field at the Amherst Pepsi Center's Audubon Park for the remainder of the season. UB hosts Northern Illinois for a four-game MAC series starting Friday at 6:00 pm.

Dunford Strong of Late

UB righthander Brendan Dunford threw his third complete game in his last three starts with his 15-1 win over Akron on April 27. With the win, his third straight, Dunford struck out nine to raise his team lead to 43. He also lowered his earned run average to a team-best 6.06.

Dunford, in his last four games, has thrown 33 innings with 30 strikeouts and just eight earned runs (2.18 ERA) and has reduced his ERA by more than six points.

Bulls on the Record Charts

With the Bulls improving their hitting by almost 20 points from last season, several Bulls are nearing single-season school records.

Bryan Sanchez (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy), who set the single-season home run mark with 11 as a freshman last year, tied the mark with his 11th on Sunday. Sanchez already owns UB's career home run mark at 22. With the roundtripper, Sanchez also moved into first on the single-season RBI list with 42, passing the previous mark of 41 set by Dave Rosenhahn in 1980.

Designated hitter Eric Huber (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) has produced 59 hits this season, placing him fifth thus far. Pat Raimondo's 1980 total and Mike Dixon's 1977 total of 63 are the most by a Bull in a single season. Huber leads the Bulls with his .360 batting average, the highest since the Bulls returned to Division I baseball last season. Huber also moved onto the Bulls' single-season RBI list with his 33rd, tying him for eighth with six other Bulls, including Sanchez's total from last season.

Reliever Kyle Swiatocha (Forest Hills, NY/Holy Cross) has appeared in 14 games this season out of the bullpen. Swiatocha is one appearance away from tying six other Bulls for fifth place on the single-season game list at 15.

As a team, the Bulls have smacked 37 homers, surpassing the previous school record of 29 set in 1979. They have also hit 80 doubles, which eclipses the 1980 record of 74. The Bulls are also on pace to surpass last season's record of 47 games played with 44 under their belts thus far.