Nasty weather was not an excuse for UB softball's slow start on the diamond.
The weather may have contributed to their slow start, mainly because the team was forced to practice indoors, but the games, however, were played in sunny spots like Arizona and California.
Buffalo did have a few bright spots in their slow start. Breanne Nasti was possibly the biggest reason that the Bulls were able to cure their cold streaks and put up a 2-3 record at the San Diego Classic. The senior right fielder led the UB offense with a .364 batting average and four RBIs.
The Bulls (8-11, 0-0 MAC) are back in the chilly region of Western New York for a Thursday doubleheader at cross-town rival Canisius, and hopefully their streak is hot enough to overpower the Golden Griffins (6-11) as well as the weather.
"A few years ago when we were a new program, they beat us. Now that we have an established program it is different," said infielder Melissa Pace. "We feel that we have the confidence and talent to beat them again."
Last year the host Bulls swept both games of the doubleheader by a combined 15-5 score.
When the two teams met back in 2002, UB had only one hit and committed three errors in a 9-0 loss at Canisius.
This year however, Buffalo will be back on the road, and even though it is just a short drive, they will have to battle the turf at Demske Sports Complex. The artificial turf makes fielding the ball a much different experience than playing on natural grass.
"It will be our first and only game on turf and it is harder to adjust especially for the freshman," said Pace. "Our coach has had us practice us on the turf at the old stadium."
On the mound you can expect Pitcher Stacy Evans to contribute in some part. In five games in San Diego she had a 0.91 earned run average and struck out 19 batters.
Both teams are accustomed to close games this season. Canisius has played in four while Buffalo has played in eight already this season, and considering the series history and overall records this year, a blowout like in past years is not expected.
"They used to run up the score but now we are a deeper team," said Pace. "This year we are playing more as a team, where last year we relied a lot on our star players."
The double-header is set to kick off at 2 p.m. on Thursday in Canisius.
