Bulls Drop First Game at Kent State, 5-3

Mike Stangroom threw six solid innings, allowing just one earned run

Shivam Bhan

KENT, OH – The University at Buffalo baseball team fell in the opening game of their three-game Mid-American Conference series at Kent State on Friday afternoon, 5-3. Brian Randazzo (St. Charles, MO/St. Charles), Nick Walczak (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East) and Shivam Bhan (Caledon, Ontario/Mayfield) each had a pair of hits for the Bulls.

Buffalo jumped on Kent State early with a pair of runs in the first. Adam Skonieczki (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) got things started for UB with a walk; he advanced to third when Walczak drove a double to the wall in left center field. Skonieczki scored on a ground out by Chris Ciesla (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott). Then Jacob Rosenbeck (Medina, NY/Medina), returning to the UB lineup after missing the last seven games due to injury, doubled to the gap in left center, scoring Walczak and giving Buffalo a 2-0 lead.

Kent State came back to tie the game with a pair of their own in the bottom of the first. Chris Tremblay led off with a double and Doug Sanders followed with a single for the Golden Flashes. Both would come around to score on ground outs in the inning.

After neither team scored in the next three innings, Buffalo regained the lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Rob Mancini (Windsor, Ontario/St. Thomas). Walczak started the threat for UB with his second double of the game. Following a fly out by Ciesla and an intentional walk to Rosenbeck, Mancini came through with a single up the middle, scoring Walczak and giving the Bulls a 3-2 lead.

Mike Stangroom

An infield single and a pair of UB errors loaded the bases for Kent State with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, but Buffalo starting pitcher Mike Stangroom (Fallston, MD/Calvert Hall) limited the damage, allowing just one run in the frame, tying the game at 3-3.

Stangroom went six solid innings on the hill allowing three runs, just one of which was earned, while striking out three and walking none.

Jared Bartholomew broke the tie for Kent State in the bottom of the eighth with a lead off, solo home run. Ben Klafczynski followed with a double for the Golden Flashes and later scored on a bunt single by Cory Hindel, giving Kent State a 5-3 lead.

With the loss, Buffalo falls to 13-30 on the season, 6-12 in the MAC.

Buffalo and Kent State return to the diamond on Saturday afternoon for game two of their three-game series. First pitch on Saturday is set for 1:00 p.m.

05/02/2008