The UB Bulls baseball team made it's return to the Amherst Pepsi Center Field last Friday on a sunny afternoon, for their first home game since playing an incredible 25-straight games on the road.
It was sunny indeed, as the Bulls pounded out 17 hits to pick up their second MAC win with an 11-6 victory over the Bowling Green Falcons.
UB starting pitcher Brendan Dunford (2-4) performed masterfully as he went the distance, allowing six runs, with five earned, while recording nine strikeouts.
"Brendan's a real warrior and when he has his control he's tough to handle," said Buffalo Head Coach Bill Breene.
"It was great to finally play a home game and win," said Dunford.
Bowling Green was first to strike with a second inning RBI by Kevin Longstreth, but Buffalo answered right back with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, courtesy of a Corey Blair RBI that scored Jon Boom.
The teams traded runs again in the fourth as Tim Sova earned his first of two RBIs on a day that he would go 4 for 4 on.
"I'm glad to be home," said Sova when asked about his performance.
The Buffalo Bats came alive in the fifth as they used four hits to bring in three runs.
Things began to unravel for Bowling Green when Falcon starting pitcher Doug Flere (2-5) made an errant throw on a Joe Mihalics sacrifice bunt attempt. Phil Vanhorne then followed with an RBI infield single that scored Bryan Zelasko, who led the inning off with a single that got the ball rolling for the Bulls. Brandon DiCesare then roped an RBI single to left and Eric Huber followed with a RBI double to the gap.
Corey Loomis was the hot stick for Bowling Green as he went 3 for 4, including a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to pull the Falcons within one at 5-4.
Yet that was as close as Bowling Green would get, as the Bulls detonated once again in the eighth, this time for six crippling runs.
Eric Huber started things off with a leadoff triple, pinch runner Adrian Daniels scored two pitches later on a past ball, and Boom followed with one of his two doubles and scored on a Sova single. Vanhorne and Bryan Sanchez added two RBIs apiece in the inning to give UB a comfortable lead at 11-4.
Dunford came out a bit stiff in the ninth after a long rest and allowed two runs, but settled down and finished the Falcons off to earn the complete game victory.
"I hope this helps build some confidence," said Breene. "This was our best offensive output of the season."
UB's 6-7-8 hitters (Boom, Blair, and Sova) were a huge factor in the victory, recording nine of the team's seventeen whopping hits.
"The bottom of the order has been a sore spot, so this was good," said Breene.
This was the type of revenge Buffalo needed, as the Falcons pounded the Bulls in a four-game series last year. Bowling Green recorded an awe-inspiring 77 hits and 77 runs in those four forgettable games for UB.
"I didn't have to do much scouting on these guys," said Breene, "I knew what they were all about."
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
