Bulls Drop a Pair at Bowling Green

The Falcons take game one, 6-2, and game two, 9-8

Shivam Bhan

BOWLING GREEN, OH – The University at Buffalo baseball team dropped a pair on Saturday afternoon at Bowling Green. The Falcons took game one, 6-2, and were victorious in the nightcap, 9-8.

After a scoreless first in game one, Buffalo took a lead with a pair of runs in the second. Jacob Rosenbeck (Medina, NY/Medina) opened the inning with a single to right. Shivam Bhan (Caledon, Ontario/Mayfield) followed with a double to the gap in right center, giving the Bulls runners on second and third. Charlie Karstedt (Eden, NY/Eden) and Rick Oliveri (Tonawanda, NY/Canisius) then each followed with RBI groundouts, giving the Bulls a 2-0 lead.

Bowling Green took a lead with three runs in the third. With one out, Ryan Schlater and Ryan Shay were both hit by pitches. Andrew Foster then hit a two RBI double down the left field line to tie the game. Derek Spencer gave the Falcons a lead with a single, scoring Foster.

A two-out walk to Marty Baird led to another run for Bowling Green in the fourth. After the walk, Baird advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on a single by Schlater.

The Falcons also added single runs in the fifth and the eighth to take game one, 6-2.

Bowling Green got on the board first in game two with a run in the third. Mark Galvin led off the inning with a double and came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Shay.

Charlie Karstedt

Another leadoff double for Bowling Green in the fifth led to a run for the Falcons. Chris Gacom doubled down the left field line and scored two batters later on a double play.

Buffalo took the lead in the sixth. Nick Walczak (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East) drew a one-out walk to start the UB rally. Chris Ciesla (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) followed with a single to right and a walk to Rosenbeck loaded the bases. Bhan drove in the first Buffalo run with a sacrifice fly and Karstedt followed with a two RBI double to the gap in left center, giving UB a 3-2 lead.

The Bulls added to their lead in the seventh. Kevin McCall (Chagrin Falls, OH/Notre Dame Cathedral) opened the inning with a bunt single. Brian Randazzo (St. Charles, MO/St. Charles) then drew a walk. Following a sacrifice bunt, Walczak hit a sharp single to right, scoring both McCall and Randazzo, increasing the Buffalo lead to 5-2.

Bowling Green came back to take a lead with four runs in the bottom of the seventh. Baird drove in the first run of the inning for the Falcons with a single. Shay had a two RBI double to tie the game and Foster gave the Falcons a lead with an RBI single.

Jacob Rosenbeck

Buffalo rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth to regain the lead. Adam Skonieczki (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) and Walczak got back-to-back singles with one out. Ciesla then reached on an error and Skonieczki scored from second to tie the game. Rosenbeck then grounded out but Eric Flynn (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls), running for Walczak, scored on the play to give UB a 7-6 lead. Bhan gave the Bulls a two run lead with an RBI with a single to center, scoring Ciesla.

After a fly out to begin the bottom of the ninth, a walk and a hitter batter set the stage for Brian Hangbers. Hangbers drove a three-run home run over the right center field fence to give Bowling Green a 9-8 win. Buffalo is now 13-35 on the season, 6-17 in the Mid-American Conference.

The Bulls will now travel to Columbus, OH for their final road game of the regular season on Tuesday, May 13 when they take on the Buckeyes of Ohio State. First pitch between the Bulls and the Buckeyes is scheduled for 12:05 p.m.

05/10/2008