Kevin Nesteruk

KENT, OH ­ Buffalo (16-36, 5-20) dropped both games of a doubleheader to Kent State (34-16, 19-4) on Saturday afternoon at Gene Michael Field. The Bulls lost the first game, 2-1, and fell in the nightcap, 13-4.

Nick Bellacose (Clarence, NY/Clarence) pitched a gem in game one, but couldn't get any help from the Buffalo bats. The junior hurler tossed a complete game, allowing two runs on five hits. The lone UB run came on a sacrifice fly by Phil Vanhorne (Scarborough, Ontario/Mother Teresa) that scored Kevin Nesteruk (Cheektowaga, NY/West Seneca East). Three Kent State pitchers combined to hold Buffalo to four hits in the game.

Kent State clinched its seventh Mid-American Conference regular season title with a 13-4 win over the Bulls in game two. The Golden Flashes jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Nesteruk launched his second home run of the series and fifth in his last eight games to cut the lead to 6-1 in the seventh inning. Brandon DiCesare (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) ripped a three-run homer in the eighth that cut the lead to 6-4. However, Kent State pounded out seven runs in the bottom of the eighth to cruise to the victory.

The Bulls will close out the 2003 campaign with a single game at Kent State on Sunday afternoon at 1 pm.