The Bulls were looking to take a step in the right direction when they opened up conference play last weekend, but weather and the Akron Zips clouded those chances.
UB (5-17 overall, 0-2 Mid-American Conference) will face cross-town rival Niagara (7-13, 3-1 Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference) in a double header today at Amherst Audubon Field.
Buffalo opened the conference schedule with two losses against Akron on Saturday. The Bulls came close in the first game but a late inning rally failed as they lost the game 6-5.
The second game was dominated by pitching. Both starters led their clubs into the eighth inning with the score tied at one, but Akron blew open the lead with five runs to seal their second win on the day.
Joe Mihalics leads the Bulls with nine doubles along with 17 RBIs. When he hits third in the batting order, he is usually able to capitalize by driving in those runners already on base. His offensive repertoire has allowed him to maintain his team-leading .419 batting average this season.
Not to be outdone, James Kingsley has powered his way to five homeruns along with a respectable 22 hits.
Offensively, Niagara is led by Vince Ircandia with a .313 average and 19 runs, along with Reed Eastly with 20 RBIs and six homeruns.
Pitching has been pretty similar between the two teams. UB's pitching staff has a combined earned run average of 7.76, while Niagara has a combined ERA of 7.32. Pitcher Kyle Nicoletta is 3-1 on the season but carries a 7.09 ERA.
The first pitch is slated for 2 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
