SOFTBALL

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BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo softball team swept a doubleheader from the visiting Marshall Thundering Herd this afternoon at Nan Harvey Field. Buffalo posted a 5-0 shutout in the opener before overcoming a 2-1 deficit in the nightcap to take a 5-2 decision. The wins up Buffalo's record to 22-21 overall and 8-8 in the Mid-American Conference while Marshall falls to 28-26 overall and 9-11 in the MAC.

Julie Hibner

In the opener, freshman Mary Russell (Apalachin, NY/Owego Fee Academy) led off the bottom of the first inning with a double to left field, and junior Julie Hibner (Salem, OR/South Salem) followed with a double down the left field line to drive Russell in with the first run of the game. A sacrifice bunt by senior Breanne Nasti (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) moved Hibner to third, and consecutive walks to designated player Sophie Barstad (Canby, OR/Canby) and junior Ann Magur (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott/Connecticut) loaded the bases and forced the Thundering Herd to make a pitching change, replacing starter Randi Nielson with Amanda Luers. Luers struck out senior Allison Round (Markham, Ontario/Markham District) for the second out of the inning before junior Melissa Pace (Long Beach, CA/Millikan) hit a seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield to drive in Hibner with the Bulls' second run of the inning. A groundout by senior Dominique Jones (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt) finally got the Herd out of the bases-loaded jam.

Pace and Hibner each drove in another run later in the game to give the Bulls some added insurance. In the fourth, sophomore Lauren Picciano (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) led off with a triple to right field and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Hibner. In the fifth, Round reached base on a walk and scored on a double to center by Pace. Pace and Hibner each finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBIs. A leadoff home run to center in the bottom of the sixth by Nasti, her ninth homer of the season, ended the scoring.

Buffalo pitcher Stacey Evans (Collinsville, IL/Triad) improved to 11-9 overall and recorded her seventh shutout of the season. She pitched the complete game, allowing just three hits and striking out eight. Nielson suffered the loss after allowing two hits and two earned runs in one-third of an inning to start the game.

Ann Magur

Buffalo's offense did not let up in game two as the Bulls pounded out four hits in the first inning, including an RBI-single by Magur, to take an early 1-0 lead. The Thundering Herd came alive in the top of the fourth thanks to a pair of slap bunts and a pair of wild pitches. Jessica Williams led off the inning with slap bunt single to short, then moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a slap bunt single to second by Sierra Davenport. After Davenport stole second, another wild pitch allowed Williams to score and Davenport to move to third. Davenport then caught the Bulls off guard and ran home while the ball was still live to give Marshall a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Pace led off with a walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Colleen Greene (Cheektowaga, NY/Cleveland Hill). A double to right center by Magur moved Greene over to third, and she then scored on a single to right by senior Jessica Labella (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park) to tie the score at 2-2. Buffalo then broke things open with a three-run sixth inning. A single to center by Labella scored Nasti with the go-ahead run, and a fielding error on a two-out grounder to first by Jones allowed both Labella and Round to cross the plate. Jones was then called out for leaving first base early to end the inning with the Bulls up 5-2. Marshall threatened in the top of the seventh, putting two runners on base as a result of two Buffalo errors, but Barstad got Courtney Kacenga to foul out to Hibner to end the game.

Barstad got credit for the win, pitching the final four innings in relief of starter Theresa Gugger (Binghamton, NY/Susquehanna Valley/Oneonta). Barstad allowed just one hit while Gugger allowed four hits and struck out three in three innings. Marshall's Nielson took the loss after giving up three hits and three runs, one earned, in the final three innings of the game. Starter Abigail Harter allowed seven hits and two earned runs in the first three innings.

The Bulls and the Thundering Herd will complete their three-game series with a single game tomorrow at 1 pm at Nan Harvey Field. The game will be the Bulls' final home game of the season.