In the final series for the baseball team before the Big 4 Tournament in Buffalo, the Bulls lost two of three games to conference foe the Ohio this weekend.
Buffalo opened the series on a winning note, pulling off a come-from-behind victory late Friday afternoon by a score of 4-3.
Down 3-2 in the eighth, junior catcher Dan Quinn came up to bat and knocked a two-run home run that hit the left field foul pole at Amherst Audubon Field. The home run gave the Bulls (10-26, 3-12 Mid-American Conference) a one-run lead that they held onto to finish the game. Freshman pitcher Steve Geltz was credited with the save, giving him four saves on the year. He gave up two hits and struck out two in the ninth.
That save tied a 29-year single-season mark. Geltz is now tied with 1979 Bulls' pitcher Bill Casbolt and 1974 player Mike Klym for most saves in a season.
The Bobcats (14-19, 7-8 MAC) struck first in the opening inning of the game when junior outfielder Willie Walker hit a hard single past the Bulls' outfielders to bring in Anthony Gressick. Gressick was on second base after he smacked a two-out double.
In the bottom of the second, the Bulls tied the score when senior first baseman James Kingsley walked and then came around to touch home after two fielder's choice groundballs.
Right-handed pitcher Sean McWilliams, who is 3-4 on the season, pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing 12 hits and earned runs. Freshman Zack Anderson relieved McWilliams and picked up the first win of his career. He pitched well giving up just one hit and one walk in the 2 2/3 innings he pitched.
Games two and three of the season did not go as smoothly. Weather concerns forced the two teams to play a doubleheader on Saturday, instead of one Saturday and one Sunday. The Bulls entered the Saturday series 1-5 in doubleheader games and continued the trend, losing both games.
The Bobcats were scoring and hitting machines in both games. They racked up a combined 35 hits and 28 runs.
In game one, the Bobcats won handily 11-6. They followed one convincing victory with another, winning game two 17-4.
Despite the Bulls team's poor performance in both games, there were a few players who went out and did their best to help the team win.
Kingsley went a combined 5-8 in the doubleheader, lifting his season batting average to .328. He scored two runs, brought in two, and smacked a home run as well.
Freshman second baseman Brad Agustin extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He had 3 RBIs and a home run on the day.
Things started out well enough for the Bulls. Sophomore shortstop Mike Folli doubled to left-centerfield in the opening inning and then moved to third on a sacrifice fly. He was later driven in by a ground ball.
Errors cost the Bulls three runs in the second and third innings, but the Bulls did not bow out of the game. They scored three in the bottom of the third when freshman outfielder James Piazza doubled and then was brought across home plate by a single from Agustin. Agustin scored when Quinn hit a blooper to left just out of reach of the Bobcats' leftfielder.
From there, the Bobcats managed to gather five hits and a walk in the fourth to take the lead by four. After that they never looked back, and the Bulls never caught up.
In game two, the Bulls allowed 12 runs in three short innings. The Bulls were never able to keep it close.
Freshman Jacob Rosenbeck played well for the Bulls and went 3-for-4 with an RBI.
Sophomore pitcher Shane Wolf went just 3 2/3 innings and his record fell to 1-6 on the year. During those three innings, he allowed eight hits, two walks, and three earned runs.
The Bulls must now put the stinging defeats out of their minds as they look towards the Big 4 Tournament. It starts this Tuesday at Amherst Audubon Field with the Bulls facing off against Canisius at 3 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
