UB Goes 1-2 in Saturday's Round Robin Games
Trying to make a name for themselves against some of the nation's top teams, the University at Buffalo women's softball team traveled to San Jose California to compete in the National Invitational Tournament over the weekend.
The young squad had mixed success, compiling one win and two losses in opening round pool play. They opened competition with a 2-0 loss to the nationally ranked Arizona State Sun Devils before falling to Northern Iowa by a 5-0 score and then finally notched a win against tournament host San Jose State, 3-2.
Underclassmen were the story for the Bulls all tournament long. Freshman Stacey Evans, on the mound for the Bulls against the Sun Devils in the opener, threw a five- hitter, but a bad third inning would lead to the Bulls' demise. In that half inning the Arizona State offense came through with two clutch hits and two runs, which would be more than enough run support.
Buffalo could only muster four hits in seven innings off Sun Devils pitcher Kristen Swetel, and two of those hits came from freshman Julie Hibner. Sophomores Allison Round and Jessica Labella also tallied one hit each for the Bulls. The Sun Devils entered the game ranked seventh in the nation in the USA Today/NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Top 25 poll.
Buffalo's second game, against Northern Iowa, got off to a rocky start for UB. The team surrendered three runs in the first inning and two more in the fourth.
Bulls pitcher Andrea Sage was unlucky on the mound as she was only charged with one earned run on her way to a complete game eight-hitter, but absorbed the loss anyway.
Hibner continued her solid hitting as she again recorded two hits, and was complimented nicely by another freshman, Ann Marie Magur, who went 2-2 from the plate.
In need of a win in their final game of the day against San Jose State, Bulls sophomore pitcher Heather Robbins took the mound and produced, pitching a complete game to earn the 3-2 win in extra innings.
With the Bulls trailing 1-0 in the seventh, Hibner tied the score on an RBI double to right field, scoring Breanne Nasti, who led the inning off with a triple.
San Jose scored an unearned run in the top of the eighth, but Buffalo responded with two runs in the bottom half of that inning. Round hit a two-run single, which scored Missy Switzer and then Dominque Jones.
Bulls Drop Pair in Consolation Bracket
Saturday, the squad took on UNC-Greensboro and Syracuse in the consolation bracket of the tournament. In the opening game the Bulls were shutout for the third time in four games in a 6-0 loss to UNC-Greensboro. Then, in their last game of the tournament, Buffalo dropped a 9-4 decision to Syracuse.
Against Greensboro, UB was hurt by fundamentals, committing four errors and allowing one run in the first, two in both the third and fourth innings, and one in the fifth.
Evans took the loss on the mound, while Hibner continued her hot streak with a single and a walk.
In the Bulls' tournament finale, Buffalo took on Syracuse and fell behind quickly. The Orangemen jumped out to an 8-0 lead after four innings behind a two-run triple and two-run homerun and never looked back.
The Bulls added two runs apiece in the fifth and sixth innings respectively but it would not be enough to overcome the insurmountable Syracuse lead.
Junior Jessica Kensky led the Bulls offensive surge going 2-4 from the plate, driving in both of Buffalo's runs in the fifth inning.
The Bulls are idle until March 23-24 when they open MAC play with a three-game set at Ohio.
