Traveling to face Mid-American Conference opponents Northern Illinois and Western Michigan last weekend was not a good experience for the Buffalo softball team. The Bulls lost all four games, extending their losing streak to six games.
In the first game, the Northern Illinois Huskies (8-19, 2-4 MAC) jumped out to a three-run lead in the second inning. Huskies' pitcher Taryn Hagemann took a no-hitter into the top of the sixth inning. The no-no was broken up, however, when Buffalo's junior third baseman Erin Zilka singled to lead off the sixth, which seemed enough to open the floodgates.
The Bulls received another single from senior shortstop Marcy Hansen and a free pass from Hagemann, who was lifted in favor of Kate Greenough, who closed the inning for the Huskies without giving up a run.
Buffalo (3-23, 1-7 MAC) finally put a substantial dent in the Huskies' lead in the top of the seventh inning, when senior centerfielder Mary Russell delivered a triple to the right-centerfield gap. Hansen scored on the hit, cutting the Northern Illinois advantage to 5-3.
Unfortunately, the rally was too little, too late for the Bulls, as the next Buffalo batter hit a lazy fly ball to right field to help the Huskies win 5-3. Greenough recorded her first save of the season.
Sophomore pitcher Katie Ivancich took the loss, surrendering five runs on five hits.
Game two started with promise as Buffalo jumped to an early 2-0 lead. Zilka led the game off with a double, and was driven-in by a Hansen single. Hansen would later score when freshman second baseman Alexandra Bejarano reached base on a Huskies error. That would be it for the Bulls' offense of the night.
Northern Illinois tied the game after scoring runs in the fourth and fifth innings, then won the game in the bottom of the seventh when junior Bailey Oullette ripped a walk-off double down the left-field line, scoring freshman Joreigh Landers from second base, giving the Huskies a 3-2 win.
Sophomore pitcher Sharon Barr suffered the loss for the Bulls, after giving-up five hits in the six-and-a-third innings she threw.
After the loss in Illinois, the Bulls traveled north to Kalamazoo, Mich., where they were slated to play a two-game series with Western Michigan Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's game was washed-out by inclement weather, and was postponed until Sunday afternoon, when the Bulls and Broncos took the field for a day-night doubleheader.
Western Michigan swept both games by scores of 7-2 in the first game and 7-1 in the nightcap to give Head Coach Kathy Leitke wins number 100 and 101 in her MAC career.
The Broncos (13-11, 5-3 MAC) sped-out to an early lead in the first game, accumulating five runs through the first two innings of play and plating another two in the bottom of the fourth.
Buffalo looked ready to mount a comeback in the sixth when Zilka drilled a two-run homerun with sophomore outfielder right fielder Kristin Gallipani on base. These runs, however, would be Buffalo's only marks for the game.
Buffalo held a lead in the second game of the day after junior third baseman Ashley Kanavy tallied an RBI single when she knocked in freshman pitcher Stephanie Visperas from third base in the top of the second inning.
The Buffalo offense would remain relatively quiet through the final five innings of the game.
The Broncos' bats finally came back to life in the fourth inning, as Western Michigan scored one, then followed with six more over the course of the fifth and sixth frames.
The Bulls return to the field on Tuesday, April 15 as they travel to Olean, NY to take on St. Bonaventure in non-conference action. The game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
