During a weekend when the softball team struggled offensively and defensively, the one bright spot was freshman pitcher Nicole Aviles, who salvaged a win in the final game of the weekend.
After having their scheduled home opener against Canisius postponed on Wednesday, the Bulls (6-20, 1-3 Mid-American Conference) were finally ready to open their conference and home schedules with doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday afternoon.
However, the much-anticipated opener turned sour as they dropped the first three games of the weekend. The Bulls were swept on Friday (3-2, 10-1) against Akron (13-14, 2-2 MAC) and lost the first half of the doubleheader, 8-1, on Saturday against Ohio (17-12, 2-2 MAC). Buffalo was able to win the weekend finale 4-3 at Nan Harvey Field.
Aviles was the star of the weekend, pitching a complete game against the Bobcats, allowing just one hit and no earned runs while striking out 12.
"[Aviles] was absolutely fantastic," said head coach Jennifer Teague. "She was in the zone. For a freshman to come out against a ridiculously fantastic Ohio team and hold them to one little bloop hit, [it] was pretty fantastic."
The Bulls struggled defensively, committing 12 errors throughout the weekend. Teague said they have not been able to practice consistently on a dirt field and the constant adjustments from a gym floor to a dirt field have hurt their defensive play.
In one inning, Buffalo allowed three unearned runs on five errors, nearly giving Ohio a victory in the game, though Aviles allowed no earned runs and struck out 12.
The Bulls struggled offensively all weekend as well, scoring only eight runs in four games, and nearly wasted Aviles' fantastic outing on Saturday.
Sophomore catcher Alexis Curtiss and junior outfielder Sammi Gallardo led the offense, combining for nine of Buffalo's 20 hits.
"I don't think we've hit our stride at all hitting-wise," Teague said. "[This] is the best hitting team I've had since I've been here. We did really well in conference last year and a lot of it is about determination and making our adjustments, and we're not necessarily consistent with it yet."
Teague addressed her team's hitting woes after the first half of the doubleheader. In the second half of the doubleheader, the Bulls recorded seven of their 20 hits in the series.
"We talked about hitting," Teague said. "We talked about having a hitter's mentality and attacking mentality, and I thought that's how we got better from the first game to the second game."
Despite the losing record, the Bulls finished the weekend on a strong note and will try to carry their momentum into their next game.
The Bulls' scheduled doubleheader against Niagara (3-16) has been postponed until next week, which means Buffalo will not play until Friday. The Bulls will travel to Michigan, where they will take on Central Michigan (13-11, 1-1 MAC) in a doubleheader on Friday and then play games on Saturday and Sunday against Eastern Michigan (10-13, 1-1 MAC). First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
