BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo (15-22, 6-14 MAC) used late inning heroics in the opener and a solid pitching in the nightcap to sweep Akron (16-24, 7-12 MAC) in a Mid-American Conference baseball doubleheader at UB's Amherst Pepsi Center Field. The Bulls took game one, 5-4, on Eric Huber's (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. UB won the nightcap, 17-3, behind a career-tying 12 strikeout performance by Brendan Dunford (Buffalo, NY/Timon/St. Jude). With the sweep UB took three of four from the visiting Zips in the weekend series.

Eric Huber

In the opener, UB rallied from a 4-3 deficit with runs in the final two innings to take the win. The Bulls plated the tying run in the sixth as Tim Sova (Rochester, NY/Greece-Athena) scored on Phil Vanhorne's (Scarborough, Ontario/Mother Teresa) basehit. The Bulls won the game in the seventh as Brandon DiCesare (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) led off with a walk from losing pitcher Frank Mendoza (4-5). Mendoza was then replaced by lefthanded reliever Pat Watt, who then hit Bryan Sanchez (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) with his first pitch to put runners on first and second. Huber then ended the opener with his basehit to right, scoring DiCesare. It was Huber's second RBI of the game after driving in the Bulls' first run of the game in the first inning.

Brendan Dunford

Reliever Mark Garrard (Port Hope, Ontario/Port Hope) picked up the win to move to 2-3. Garrard struck out three in two innings of work after replacing starter Anthony Puccia (Penfield, NY/Penfield) on the mound. DiCesare, Huber, Sova and Vanhorne each collected two hits in the opener while leadoff man Joe Mihalics (Tonawanda, NY/Timon/St. Jude) cracked his first career home run, a two-run shot, in the fourth inning.

The Bulls jumped out to a 10-0 lead after four innings of game two. UB plated five runs in the third, including a Corey Blair (Oneida, NY/Oneida) double to drive home two.. The Bulls added five more in the fourth as Huber and John Boom (London, Ontario/Catholic Central) each knocked in a pair with bases-loaded singles in the inning.

Adrian Daniels

Dunford (4-6) went eight innings allowing just a pair of unearned runs with his 12 punchouts. He struck out 12 last season against Northern Illinois in the first game played at Amherst Pepsi Center Field. Kyle Swiatocha (Forest Hills, NY/Holy Cross) came on in a mop-up role in the ninth, striking out one and allowing an unearned run.

Adrian Daniels (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) led the offensive assault with four RBIs while going 2-for-6. He had an RBI triple in the five-run third and then smacked a three-run homer in the four-run eighth inning for the Bulls. Sanchez also homered for the Bulls, his sixth of the season. Mihalics and Huber had three hits in the nightcap while Boom added three RBIs. Ryan Brickwood was 4-for-5 from his leadoff spot for Akron in the nightcap.

The Bulls travel to Northern Illinois for next weekend's four-game MAC series against the Huskies, starting on Friday.