It has been a long and frustrating season for the Buffalo softball team. It has been a year riddled with injuries, and its 37 losses prove that the team has been unable to overcome these challenges.
The Bulls (3-37, 1-11 Mid-American Conference) dropped two more games to the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (14-14) this Tuesday in a doubleheader played at Nan Harvey Field where the Bonnies won game one 5-0 and game two 4-2.
"In all my years coaching I have never experienced so many injuries on a team," said head coach Marie Curran. "We actually suffered another injury in the first game when our second baseman was hit by a pitch and broke her wrist."
In the first game of the double-header, the Bulls struggled on offense producing only two hits, which came late in the sixth and seventh innings. The team had no answer for Bonnies' starting pitcher Sherri Thompson who pitched a complete game shutout while striking out a career-high 11 batters and giving up just three walks for the win. Thompson has gone 30 straight innings without allowing an earned run.
"St. Bonaventure's pitcher did a really good job of keeping our hitters off balance," Curran said. "She jammed us which forced a lot of short pop ups, and she was striking us out as well."
Freshman starting pitcher Sharon Barr started game one for Buffalo and she pitched a complete game allowing four earned runs off nine hits while walking only two. St. Bonaventure broke the four inning scoring drought in the top of the fifth inning when Barr gave up four hits and three runs to the Bonnies making it 3-0.
"It wasn't Sharon's best performance of the year, but she hung in there going the full seven and fought for us," Curran said.
St. Bonaventure scored its final two runs in the top of the sixth inning. Bonnies' first baseman Patricia McKeon drove in both runs with a single up the middle making it 5-0. McKeon went 2-3 in the game.
In the second game of the double-header, the Bulls struck first scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning. Senior shortstop Colleen Greene led the game off with a triple to right field; she then scored off a deep fly ball hit into left field by sophomore catcher Erin Zilka.
"Colleen (Greene) did a great job for us early hitting a hard shot to right field for a triple and then our power hitter Erin (Zilka) got us on the board with a sacrifice fly deep to left," Curran said.
Starting for Buffalo was sophomore Dana Carter. She pitched the entire game giving up four runs while striking out four and walking none. She had a good day at the plate as she reached base on all four at bats. Carter went 1-1 and walked three times.
"Dana (Carter) had her best performance of the year," Curran said. "She was solid on the mound and did a great job at the plate."
The Bulls scored again in the bottom of the second making it 2-0, when freshman centerfielder Jaime Sheffler blasted the first home run of her career off Bonnies' starter Christine Keleher. Sheffler went 2-2 with a walk for the game. Keleher pitched a complete game for the win, she allowed two runs off six hits, and struck out nine Bulls.
"Jaime (Sheffler) was excited about her first home run, but she was disappointed about the loss," Curran said.
St. Bonaventure began their comeback in the top of the fourth scoring a run off a home run hit by Bonnies' leftfielder Ashley Kotz. They scored another run in the top of the fifth which tied the game at two. The Bulls had no answer as they were blanked the rest of the game. The Bonnies added two more runs off three hits in the top of the seventh inning to secure the win 4-2.
"St. Bonaventure fought hard in both games," Curran said. "They never gave up and they believed they could win."
The Bulls are set to play another double-header at Nan Harvey Field on Thursday April 26 at 3 p.m. against cross-town rival the Canisius Golden Griffins.
"The local girls on the team are excited to play Canisius and are trying to instill the cross-town rivalry to the other girls," Curran said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
