The baseball team was burned by more than the sun during its season opener in New Mexico over the weekend.
The Bulls (0-4) traveled to New Mexico State (8-0) to compete in two doubleheaders, and lost all four games, 20-12, 15-3, 23-11, and 19-13. This was Buffalo's first meeting against the Aggies.
Game one started out somewhat promising, as the Bulls scored three runs in the first inning with some solid baserunning, RBI singles, and a sacrifice fly. They were quickly silenced by the Aggies' offense, which scored 15 unanswered runs in the first three innings off of junior pitchers Kevin Crumb and Jonathan Fragulia.
Crumb only pitched for two innings, walking two batters and giving up nine earned runs. Fragulia stepped onto the pitcher's mound in the third and lasted 3 2/3 innings. He surrendered nine earned runs, including a home run.
The Bulls went on to have a big inning in the seventh. Singles by sophomore first baseman River McWilliams and freshman shortstop Michael Burke, and a double by junior outfielder Jordan Camp, loaded the bases early on. Sophomore outfielders Jason Kanzler and Matt Pollock brought Camp and Burke home on a fielder's choice and a double. Both went on to score when junior outfielder Daniel Scahill singled to center field. Despite the offensive success, the team still trailed the Aggies by eight runs.
The second game of the doubleheader was another struggle for the Bulls offensively, as they scored their only three runs in the final three innings of the game. The Aggies stacked up the score early on, with 12 runs in the first four innings. Two errors by the Bulls' defense led to five unearned runs.
Sunday's doubleheader finished in similar fashion but saw an increase in offense from both teams. The combination of errors and the Aggies' superior hitting led to another two losses for the Bulls.
The Bulls started swinging early, gaining two runs in the first inning and two in the second. Kanzler led off with a single to center field. He stole second, and McWilliams brought him home to score the first run of the inning. Camp's subsequent single brought sophomore catcher Tom Murphy to home plate, earning his third RBI of the series. Kanzler's triple and Murphy's double helped bring in two more runs in the second.
The Aggies scored 23 runs in game three, and all of them came in the first five innings. Junior pitcher Cameron Copping was settled with the loss. Copping gave up 10 earned runs in the first two innings with two strikeouts and two walks.
The final game of the series was a bit more even on the hitting front, with 16 hits on each side. The Bulls' defense couldn't hold its own against the Aggies' offense, as it committed six errors that led to eight unearned runs.
Buffalo was efficient offensively. Pollock began the inning by making it to third base after getting hit by a pitch, advancing to second on a wild pitch, and moving to third on a passed ball. Kanzler brought in Pollock after a passed ball strikeout. Camp followed up, hitting a two-run homer and making it a close game at a score of 7-5.
The Aggies responded with nine unanswered runs. The Bulls never came close to the lead again, losing 19-13. Burke took the loss after giving up 11 runs, seven earned, within the first two innings. Senior pitcher Jeff Thompson came in for Burke, striking out five batters and allowing four earned runs over the next four innings.
Head coach Ron Torgalski was unavailable for comment due to travel.
The Bulls travel to Delaware State (1-5) for a three-game series this Friday. First pitch on Friday is at 2:30 p.m.
E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of UB Athletics
