John Boom

HUNTINGTON, WV - With the help of a five-run first inning, the Marshall University baseball team was able to cruise to a 9-2 win over Buffalo on Saturday afternoon at University Heights Field. The Bulls will wrap up the 2004 campaign at Marshall on Sunday afternoon.

The Thundering Herd scored their five first-inning runs on five singles and with the aid of four stolen bases. The score remained 5-0 until the top of the fifth inning when the Bulls finally got on the board on an RBI single by James Kingsley (Medina, NY/Medina) that plated Phil Vanhorne (Scarborough, Ontario/Mother Teresa). However, Marshall scored a run in the fifth inning, another in the sixth inning and a pair of runs in the seventh inning to go ahead, 9-1.

The Bulls scored their second run of the game in the eighth inning on an RBI single by John Boom (London, Ontario/Catholic Central) that scored Andrew Wengert (Utica, NY/Proctor).

Buffalo starting pitcher Eric Kelly (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca East) was charged with the loss after allowing seven earned runs over 6.2 innings.

UB tallied 10 hits in the game, including two apiece by Kingsley, Wengert, Boom and Bryan Thrasher (Utica, NY/Proctor).

With the loss, the Bulls fell to 15-38 overall and 4-17 in the MAC. The win improved Marshall's record to 26-27 overall and 9-13 in the conference. The final game of the three-game series will be played on Sunday afternoon at 1 pm.