Buffalo Drops a Heartbreaker at Ohio State, 14-13

The Bulls pound out a season-high 18 hits against the Buckeyes

Chris Ciesla

COLUMBUS, OH – The University at Buffalo baseball team took an early lead against Ohio State but was unable to hold on, falling to the Buckeyes, 14-13, on Tuesday afternoon. Chris Ciesla (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) and Brian Randazzo (St. Charles, MO/St. Charles) each drove in three runs for Buffalo in the loss.

After two scoreless innings, the Bulls struck first with a pair of runs in the third. Eric Flynn (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) started the two-out rally with double down the left field line. Randazzo drove in Flynn with a single and Nick Walczak (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East) drove in Randazzo for the second run of the inning.

Buffalo plated nine more runs in the fourth as 13 men went to the plate for the Bulls. Jacob Rosenbeck (Medina, NY/Medina) and Charlie Karstedt (Eden, NY/Eden) each had a pair of hits for UB in the frame. Randazzo and Ciesla each hit a two-RBI double in the inning.

Ohio State began their comeback with a pair of runs in the fourth. Zach Hurley opened the inning with a double and Ryan Dew followed with a home run to right center.

Buffalo answered with two runs of their own in the fifth. Flynn singled to open the inning and would later score on an error. Ciesla drove in his third run of the game with a single that scored Randazzo.

But the Buckeyes continued to battle back, scoring three in their half of the fifth and two more in the seventh to cut the Buffalo lead to 13-7.

Brian Randazzo

A three-run home run by Justin Miller in the eighth brought Ohio State to within three, 13-10.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Buckeyes used two hits, three walks and an error to score four runs and complete the comeback.

Ciesla, Randazzo and Rosenbeck each finished the day with three hits for Buffalo. Ciesla also started on the mound and threw six solid innings, getting a no decision.

The loss drops Buffalo to 13-36 on the season.

A crowd of 3,503 was on hand at Bill Davis Stadium, as 2,600 sixth graders were in attendance for Ohio State’s annual Columbus City Schools day. The crowd was the largest to see the Bulls play since the program’s reinstatement in 2000. The previous high was set on March 11, 2006 when 3,123 saw UB play at Southern Miss. The contest was also the first for the Bulls against a Big Ten opponent since the reinstatement of the program.

Buffalo returns home to Amherst Audubon Field to close out the 2008 season with a three-game Mid-American Conference set against Ohio. Game one between the Bulls and the Bobcats will be on Thursday, May 15, first pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

05/13/2008