SOFTBALL

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BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo softball team dropped all three games of a tripleheader to Ohio this afternoon to open the home portion of their inaugural Mid-American Conference season. The Bobcats (21-11, 6-1 MAC) hung on for 2-0 and 3-2 wins in the first two games before scoring seven unanswered runs in the final game to earn a come-from-behind 7-1 victory. With the three loses, Buffalo's record falls to 3-23 overall and 0-6 in the MAC.

The Bobcats opened game one with three straight singles, and Kelli Bankert's base hit drove in Crystal Turner with the first run of the game in the top of the first inning. Turner then singled with two outs in the second inning and scored the only other run of the game on a double to left center by Sara Kraus. Ohio pitcher Kasey Dowd went the distance on the mound, earning the shutout victory and allowing just two hits, singles to sophomore Jennifer Moore (Williamsville, NY/Delhi (Ont.) District) and freshman Marce Ross (Barrie, Ontario/St. Peter's). The Bulls left six runners stranded on base, and freshman Heather Robbins (West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield) took the loss on the mound.

Ohio's Turner led off the second game with a triple and got the Bobcats out to another 1-0 lead after the first inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Kraus. Tiffany Bolton then drove in two more OU runs in the top of the fourth inning with a single up the middle to put Ohio up 3-0. The Bulls answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Bobcats held on for the win with solid defense and strong pitching. Sophomore Laura Gilcrist (Getzville, NY/Williamsville North), pinch running for freshman Breanne Nasti (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) who led off the fourth inning with a single, crossed the plate on a passed ball, and senior Kim Lawrence (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg/Erie CC) singled to drive in freshman Allison Round (Markham, Ontario/Markham District) for Buffalo's other run of the game. Ohio pitcher Valerie Wood came on in relief and struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to earn her fifth save of the year. OU starter Heather Hagen struck out 11 batters in six innings, and Robbins struck out eight while taking the loss for the Bulls.

In the final game of the tripleheader, sophomore Kelly Malone (Waterford, MI/Waterford Kettering) and Moore hit back-to-back singles for the Bulls, and Malone came around to score on a wild pitch to get Buffalo out to its first lead of the day. Ohio, however, manufactured four runs in the fourth inning and three runs in the sixth to earn the 7-1 victory. Buffalo committed only one error in the first two games of the afternoon, but had four costly errors in the final game, including three in the sixth inning to allow the Bobcats to pull away. Ohio's Wood earned the win on the mound, striking out 10 batters. Nasti led the Bulls with two hits, and sophomore Andrea Sage (Depew, NY/Depew) was credited with the loss, giving up 11 hits but just one earned run and striking out six batters.

The Bulls host Akron in a single game on Sunday, April 1 at 3 pm and in a doubleheader on Monday, April 2 beginning at Noon at the UB Softball Stadium.