SOFTBALL

Roster  |  Coaches  |  Schedule / Results  |  News

CANFIELD, OH - The University at Buffalo softball team extended its winning streak to five games with a non-conference doubleheader sweep at Youngstown State, 9-0 and 8-1. Freshman Laura Kor (Beaverton, OR/Westview) hit three home runs to lead the offense, and senior Stacey Evans (Collinsville, IL/Triad) recorded her 500th career strikeout to highlight the Bulls’ efforts. Buffalo is now 15-23 overall and has won nine of its last 11 games and 11 of its last 15. The five-game winning streak is the longest in the Bulls’ Division I history.

Mary Russell

The Bulls’ offense got started in the third inning of game one when they scored three runs on two hits. Junior Lauren Picciano (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) led off the inning with a single to center. A walk, a hit batter and two outs later, senior Melissa Pace (Long Beach, CA/Millikan) singled to left field to drive in the first run of the game. Senior Julie Hibner (Salem, OR/South Salem) then reached on a fielding error that allowed two more runs to score before the Penguins got out of the inning. Kor hit her first home run of the evening in the fifth inning, a solo shot to left field to put the Bulls up 4-0, and sophomore Mary Russell (Apalachin, NY/Owego Free Academy) followed with her first career homer, also a solo shot to left field, in the sixth inning to put the Bulls up 5-0. Buffalo finished its onslaught with a five-hit, four-run seventh inning. Freshman Kristen Jock (Latham, NY/Shaker) led off with a single through the left side. Kor then walked, and Hibner singled to left with one out to load the bases. Freshman Kerry Cafazzo (Everett, MA/Everett) and Russell both hit RBI-singles, and Picciano hit a sacrifice fly to score the third run in the inning. An RBI-single by freshman Marcy Hansen (Claremont, CA/Claremont) finished up the scoring.

Evans pitched the complete-game shutout for the Bulls, striking out six and allowing seven hits. She entered the game with 498 strikeouts and struck out the first two batters in the second inning to record her 500th career K. Hibner and Russell were both 2-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the offense.

The Bulls continued their offensive surge in game two. Kor got things started with a three-run home run in the fourth inning, and an RBI-single by Hansen in the fifth gave the Bulls a commanding 4-0 lead. Kor then hit her third homer of the day to lead off a three-run sixth inning. Pace followed with a single up the middle and then scored on a double by Jock. A single by Cafazzo drove in Jock for the final run of the inning, and an RBI-double by freshman Lacy Schneider (Idyllwild, CA/Hemet) drove in the final run of the game in the seventh inning. The Penguins (16-29) left runners stranded in each of the first three innings in game two before finally getting their first and only run of the evening in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI-single by Lacy Bronson.

Kor finished game two hitting 2-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBIs to lead the offense. Sophomore Sophie Barstad (Canby, OR/Canby) pitched the complete game, giving up eight hits and striking out five.

The Bulls (15-23, 8-5 MAC) get back to Mid-American Conference action with a three-game series against Miami (OH) this weekend. Saturday’s doubleheader and Sunday’s single game both begin at 1 pm at Nan Harvey Field.