The baseball team's bats came alive this weekend against Morehead State. But it was "too little, too late" as they dropped their first three games before bombarding the Eagles in the final game of the series.
After another postponed game on Friday due to bad weather, the Bulls were forced to play a doubleheader on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Bulls, neither of the games went their way as they lost 3-2 in the first game and 7-6 in the second.
Morehead State got to junior pitcher Zach Anderson early, putting up two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Anderson would settle down to throw a complete game through seven innings.
Despite going down early, the Bulls maintained composure and battled back scoring a run in the third and sixth innings to tie the game, 2-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles came back to take the lead 3-2 and essentially seal the deal, giving them the win in the first game of the series.
"I thought we played halfway decent. We swung the bats pretty well. We hit the ball hard all day and most of the time it was right at people," said head coach Ron Torgalski. "It was just one of those days where the ball just wasn't dropping for us."
In the second game of the day, the Bulls were down 5-2 heading into the seventh inning. The Bulls pulled it together and had a big four run inning to take a one run lead, 6-5. The game, however, would be decided in extra innings after the Eagles tied it 6-6 in the bottom of that seventh inning.
After a scoreless eighth inning, the Bulls made a throwing error while trying to turn a double play in the bottom of the ninth inning, which allowed Morehead State's J.D. Ashbrook to cross the plate costing Buffalo the game.
"It was a great comeback, the kids hung in, they fought, never gave up, we battled and it was just a tough break at the end there," Torgalski said.
Sunday was a different story when both teams squared off for their second double header of the weekend. Buffalo lost the first game of the day 5-1 but ended the series with a bang, hitting five home runs en route to beating the Eagles, 10-3.
In the first game, Buffalo jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning when sophomore third baseman Shivam Bhan drove in junior left fielder Chris Ciesla.
The Bulls' lead did not last long as Morehead State took the lead in the third inning when Eric Allen hit a three-run home run. The Eagles would tack on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, beating the Bulls in the first game of the day.
Everything started to turn around for Buffalo in the final game of the series. Junior second baseman Brian Randazzo put the Bulls up in the second inning with a two-run home run. Morehead State came right back with a solo shot off the bat of Trent Hanna to cut the lead to one.
It didn't take long for Buffalo to regain the lead as Rosenbeck led off the third inning with a solo shot of his own. The Bulls continued their rout of the Eagles in the fourth inning when junior catcher Rob Mancini drove in Randazzo. Rosenbeck hit his second home run of the contest, this time a two-run blast, to give the Bulls a 6-1 lead.
Morehead State threatened in the fifth after they had loaded the bases, but freshman pitcher Jesse Reinstein ended their threat after coming on in relief of senior pitcher Mark Tourangeau. Reinstein struck out Justin Johnson to end the inning.
Buffalo did not let up as the home run derby continued for the Bulls in the final two innings. Bahn hit a solo shot in the sixth inning and junior center fielder Eric Flynn hit a two-run home run in the seventh. Their five home runs in the game matched their total from all of last season.
"It was just the mindset - that we talked to the kids before the game and told them they need to come out and stop feeling sorry for themselves because we're hitting balls right at people, we got to keep swinging, we have got to stay aggressive and we did," Torgalski said. "It was good to get a win under our belts, it was just good to get a win and get out of there."
The Bulls leave for Texas on Thursday, March 6 for a ten-game road trip that starts with the Lamar Classic. They will face off against New York Tech on Friday.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
