"Baseball gets swept under the rug, again"

It was another rough weekend for the baseball team.

Buffalo dropped all three games of a weekend set against Mid-American Conference foe Eastern Michigan Eagles. The Bulls managed only three runs in the series, losing 10-0 on Friday, 6-1 on Saturday and 4-2 in the final match on Sunday.

Friday's contest was the first meeting of the teams in MAC play at Oestrike Stadium. The game was decided early as the Eagles put five runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning.

The flurry of runs caused Buffalo (5-20, 0-6 MAC) head coach Bill Breene to pull senior pitcher Matt Johnson for junior pitcher Adam Ruszkowski. Johnson gave up five runs on four hits and three base-on-balls in only a third of an inning and was given credit for the loss.

Eastern Michigan's George Biddle, who picked up the third win of the year, stymied Buffalo's offense. Biddle allowed eight hits over nine innings and struck out eight Bulls for a complete-game shutout.

Saturday's match-up started out better for the Bulls as sophomore second baseman Mike Folli walked to lead off the game. Freshman centerfielder Eric Flynn doubled in Folli for his only hit of the game and a 1-0 Buffalo lead.

The Eagles matched Buffalo's score in the bottom of the first frame after Josh Ivan reached on an error by freshman shortstop Brad Agustin.

After that, Eagles hurler Jeff Fischler took over, becoming the second Eastern Michigan player to pitch a complete game in as many days. Fischler struck out 10 batters the rest of the way and allowed only a pair of singles the rest of the game, both to Folli.

The final game of the series put two senior hurlers against each other in a Sunday afternoon showdown. Sean McWilliams took the mound for the Bulls while Will Stewardson got the call for the Eagles.

The game started off similar to Saturday's contest with Folli walking to begin the action. Folli eventually crossed the plate to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead for the second straight day.

The Eagles got even with the Bulls in the bottom of the second inning and then took the lead in the same frame. Two consecutive walks, a stolen base, a wild pitch, a throwing error, and an RBI double by Lehrman led to two unearned runs and a 2-1 Eastern Michigan lead.

Buffalo's offense picked up again in the top of the seventh as freshman designated hitter Frank Jagoda doubled to left-center for his first NCAA hit. Following a flyout by freshman right fielder James Piazza, Folli again came up big for the Bulls and drove home Jagoda with an RBI single to center.

Buffalo attempted a comeback effort in the top of the eighth inning as a single by senior James Kingsley and two walks loaded the bases with two outs. Eastern Michigan's Kevin Wammes entered the game as the fourth pitcher for the Eagles and got Piazza to line out to center for the third out of the inning.

Buffalo returned to the plate in the top of the ninth after freshman pitcher Steve Geltz sat the side down in order. After a Folli double and a single by pinch-hitter Carl Aquila, the Bulls had men on the corners with one out. Wammes came up big for the Eagles, however, and struck out Quinn and Kingsley back-to-back to earn his first save of the season.

McWilliams took the loss for the Bulls, despite a strong outing in which he allowed only two runs in six and one-third innings pitched. The senior also struck out five and walked three while giving up only four hits.

On the opposite side of the win-loss column, Stewardson threw six innings for the Eagles and struck out five while walking only two to pick up his second win of the season.

Buffalo will next see action Wednesday, when it will host Big Four rival Niagara at Amherst Audubon field. The game starts at 2 p.m.