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ST. BONAVENTURE, NY - The University at Buffalo split a non-conference baseball doubleheader on Wednesday at St. Bonaventure's McGraw-Jennings Field. The Bulls dropped the opener, 7-6, on a two-run walk-off home run by Dan Dennison. UB gained the split as sophomore Nick Bellacose (Clarence, NY/Clarence) spun a two-hitter for the 3-1 victory.

Nick Bellacose

The Bulls opened game one with four runs in the second inning. After Eric Huber (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park), Adrian Daniels (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) and Corey Blair (Oneida, NY/Oneida) loaded the bases on singles, Tim Sova (Rochester, NY/Greece-Athena) and John Boom (London, Ontario/Catholic Central) drew walks to plate the first two runs. Joe Mihalics (Tonawanda, NY/Timon/St. Jude) brought home Blair on a fielder's choice and Phil Vanhorne (Scarborough, Ontario/Mother Teresa) registered an RBI with a groundout to score Sova.

Brandon DiCesare

St. Bonaventure tied the game at 4-4 with a run in the second on a home run by Eric Wilson and three in the third on RBIs by Mike Tegeler, Mike Rapacioli and Wilson.

The game remained tied until the seventh when Blair hit the first pitch of the inning over the left field fence to give the Bulls a 5-4 edge. The roundtripper was Blair's fifth of the season, tops on the team. The Bulls added to the margin as Bryan Sanchez (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) earned an RBI after being hit by a Nate Cameron pitch with the bases loaded. Boom scored on the play for a 6-4 UB lead.

The Bonnies ended the game in the bottom of the inning as Mike Sedor singled and later scored from third base on a wild pitch by reliever Mark Garrard (Port Hope, Ontario/Port Hope). With two outs and the Bulls clinging to a one-run lead, Dennison ended the contest with his team-leading 10th home run of the year.

Garrard suffered the loss to fall to 1-3 after UB starter John Sullivan (Buffalo, NY/Timon/St. Jude) pitched 6.1 strong innings, striking out three. Cameron, who would later start game two, improved to 3-0. Blair was 2-for-3 in the game for the Bulls while Sedor went 3-for-3 for St. Bonaventure.

In game two, Bellacose, who entered the contest with a 17.28 earned run average in six previous appearances, gave up his only run in the first inning. Greg Osganian led off with a walk, moved to third on a single to right field by Tegeler and scored on Dennison's groundout. The only other basehit allowed by the righthander was a bunt single by Sedor to lead off the fifth who was then caught stealing.

Tim Sova

The Bulls got all the runs they would need in the fifth off reliever Brian Mitchell (1-2). Huber's bases-loaded groundout, a sharp roller behind first base, scored Daniels to tie the game. Sova then plated the go-ahead runs when his fly ball fell between Sedor in center and Osganian in left field for a double to score Brandon DiCesare (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) and Sanchez.

Bellacose (1-0) struck out four in recording the first complete game of his career. DiCesare had two of the Bulls' seven hits in the nightcap. DiCesare also threw out three basestealers in the game.

UB hosts Akron on Friday for the start of a four-game Mid-American Conference series with the Zips. Friday's game is a 3:00 p.m. start at the Amherst Pepsi Center Field.