Bulls Fall in Series Opener at Bowling Green, 6-5

Six Bulls have multi-hit games in the loss

Brian Randazzo

BOWLING GREEN, OH – Despite outhitting Bowling Green, 15-8, the University at Buffalo baseball team fell 6-5 on Friday afternoon. The Falcons rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth to claim victory in the series opener.

After a scoreless first inning, Bowling Green broke the deadlock in the second. Mark Galvin led off with a double for the Falcons; he scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Dennis Vaughn.

Buffalo tied the game in the third. Brian Randazzo (St. Charles, MO/St. Charles) led off with a single up the middle, his second hit of the day. Adam Skonieczki (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) followed with another single for the Bulls. Following a double play that advanced Randazzo to third, Chris Ciesla (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) doubled to the gap in right center to tie the score. The hit was Ciesla’s second double of the contest.

Rick Oliveri

The Bulls then took the lead in the fourth in a pair of runs. UB got four consecutive hits to open the frame. Jacob Rosenbeck (Medina, NY/Medina), Shivam Bhan (Caledon, Ontario/Mayfield) and Charlie Karstedt (Eden, NY/Eden) singled to load the bases for Rick Oliveri (Tonawanda, NY/Canisius). Oliveri singled to left, scoring Rosenbeck and Bhan, giving Buffalo a 3-1 lead.

Both teams scored a run in each of the fifth and sixth innings. Buffalo scored in the fifth when Skonieczki led off with a walk, advanced to third on a base hit by Nick Walczak (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East) and came in on a double play. A pair of two-out doubles gave Bowling Green their run in the bottom of the inning, cutting the UB lead to 4-2.

Bobby Pizzuto (Mentor, OH/Notre Dame Cathedral) drove in Buffalo’s run in the sixth. Karstedt got his second hit of the day, a one-out double down the right field line. After Oliveri reached on an error by the Falcon left fielder, Pizzuto reached on an infield single, scoring Karstedt. Brian Hangbers led off the Bowling Green half of the sixth with a double; he scored two batters later on a groundout.

Ryan Shay reached on an error to begin the Bowling Green eighth inning rally. Following a pop out and a Hangbers single, Derek Spencer singled home two runs to tie the game, 5-5. The Falcons then took the lead on a Galvin double, scoring Spencer.

Mike Stangroom

Mike Stangroom (Fallston, MD/Calvert Hall) started on the mound for the Bulls. Stangroom threw a solid seven innings, allowing just five hits and three runs while getting a no decision.

Buffalo had at least one hit in every inning but the second, but the Bulls also hit into four double plays in the contest. The loss drops UB to 13-33 on the season, 6-15 in the Mid-American Conference.

The Bulls and the Falcons will return to the field tomorrow, May 10 for game two of their three-game MAC set. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

05/09/2008