Heading into Wednesday, the baseball team was on a six-game skid, which left a huge dent in its record.
Little did the players know that a local foe would provide them with their first win in 10 days.
Wednesday afternoon, the Bulls (15-23) headed to Lewiston, NY for a matchup against Niagara (15-24) at Sal Maglie Stadium and came out victorious, 6-4.
"We played well," said Buffalo head coach Ron Torgalski. "We had a lot of guys playing in different positions. We had a short squad out there."
Sophomore third baseman Kevin McCall started Buffalo's jump on the scoreboard in the second with a walk. Senior second baseman Brian Randazzo responded with a triple to right center, which sent McCall to home plate, putting Buffalo on the board, 1-0. Junior left fielder Bobby Pizzuto then sent Randazzo home with a left-field sacrifice fly, giving the Bulls a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Niagara tied the game at 2-2 following scores by Graham Skelhorne-Gross and Jason Cramer.
The Bulls wouldn't let the tie last for long.
In the top of the fifth, Buffalo responded. Junior right fielder Charlie Karstedt hit a sacrifice fly to center, which sent junior center fielder Adam Skonieczki to home plate to put Buffalo on top, 3-2. Senior outfielder Chris Ciesla hit an RBI single through the right side, which extended Buffalo's lead to 4-2.
The Purple Eagles responded yet again. In the bottom of the fifth, Niagara players Matt Wietlispach and Wynton Bernard both earned runs for the Purple Eagles, sending the game to a tie yet again, 4-4.
That would be the last time that Niagara lit up the scoreboard.
In the top of the sixth, the Bulls extended their lead to 5-4 when junior shortstop Brad Agustin dropped an RBI single into right field, which sent Pizzuto to home plate from second base. In the top of the seventh, the Bulls cushioned their lead off an RBI double by McCall, putting the score at 6-4.
With the win, the Bulls captured their 15th victory of the season, beating their win total from last season. The Purple Eagles suffered their first loss in five games.
"We went through the motions [on Wednesday]," said Niagara head coach Rob McCoy. "Mid-week games have been less than stellar for us and we need to fight to stay focused."
Skonieczki went 3-for-5 with a run, while McCall and Agustin each went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Senior reliever Dan Francis earned the victory for the Bulls, his first of the season. Senior closer Zach Anderson picked up his third save of the season, placing him tied for fifth in all-time saves in a season and tied for seventh for most career saves.
"I wanted to get those guys a little bit of work," Torgalski said. "I tried to get their pitch count right around where I wanted them. They did pretty well. We only walked one person the whole day."
Following the victory, the Bulls improved their regular season record against the Purple Eagles to 3-0, which included a doubleheader sweep of Niagara on April 8. The win, which ended Buffalo's skid, was an important one for Torgalski and his team.
"I am happy to get the win," Torgalski said. "A couple of kids got some good hits at the plate with the [rainy] conditions. It wasn't that easy to get good hits at the plate."
Torgalski wasn't fazed by Buffalo's three errors on the day.
"All three of them were throwing errors where we were trying to make some good plays," Torgalski said. "Two of them were tough plays, and the other one was just a wet ball."
Torgalski also announced that an injury to junior shortstop Jacob Rosenbeck has ended his season.
"Rosenbeck didn't play because he is out the rest of the year," Torgalski said. "Agustin is going to have to play short now because Jake is done for the year."
Following the win, the Bulls head to Akron, Ohio to face the Zips in a conference weekend series starting Friday. The first game of the three-game set begins at 3 p.m.
