The Buffalo baseball team spent their spring break in Texas as part of the Lamar Classic, and earned three wins in the process.
???The trip started off well as the Bulls picked up their second win of the season in the opening game of the Lamar Classic with a 12-7 victory over New York Tech.
???In the bottom of the fourth inning, trailing 2-0, the Bulls broke the game open by scoring nine runs on five hits. Buffalo senior outfielder E.J. Folli and junior shortstop Jacob Rosenbeck led off the inning with back to back singles, and junior designated hitter Chris Ciesla walked to load the bases. Senior first baseman Nick Walczak hit a grand slam, clearing the bases and giving the Bulls a 4-2 lead. Hitting for the second time in the inning, Ciesla hit a bases clearing double to put the Bulls up, 9-2.
???The nine runs scored in the inning was the most scored by the Bulls in an inning since they scored nine in the sixth inning of a 27-12 win over Niagara in 2006.
???New York Tech added three runs in the fifth inning, but Folli hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to give Buffalo an 11-5 lead. Buffalo junior left fielder Eric Flynn had four hits in the win for the Bulls. The team showed discipline at the plate by drawing ten walks. Junior Zach Anderson picked up the win on the mound for the Bulls, throwing five innings and striking out six.
???In their second game, Buffalo dropped a close game to the host Lamar Cardinals, 7-6. The Bulls took the first lead of the game when sophomore center fielder Bobby Pizzuto tripled to score junior second baseman Brian Randazzo. Their lead increased to 4-0 in the top of the sixth after Randazzo hit a two RBI triple.
???Two Buffalo errors allowed Lamar to score four unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth and tie the game. Despite regaining the lead in the eighth after a two run home run by Mancini, the Bulls could not hold on as the Cardinals scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth for the 7-6 victory.
???The Bulls faced off again against New York Tech in their third game but couldn't manage to get on the board and lost 8-0. Buffalo fell behind early giving up seven runs through the first four innings and could not put together any offense as they were held to just three hits by New York Tech pitchers Eric Johnson and Louie Bernardi.
???In their final game of the Lamar Classic, the Bulls fell 3-0 to Mid-American Conference rival Akron. The Zips scored one run in the third and added two in the sixth on a two run single to increase their lead to 3-0. The Bulls rallied in the ninth, putting two runners in scoring position, but a strike out and fly out to center field ended the game.
???Buffalo then headed to San Antonio, Texas, for a doubleheader against Southern Illinois and Trinity University. The Bulls won both games beating Southern Illinois, 3-2, and Trinity, 17-11.
???In the first game of the doubleheader, Buffalo scored all three of their runs in the fourth inning. With two outs and a runner on first, the Bulls put together four consecutive hits that drove in three runs. Flynn, Pizzuto, and Folli each recorded an RBI.
???Southern Illinois answered with runs in the fifth and sixth, but the duo of sophomore Jeffery Hains and junior Steve Geltz came on to throw a combined four shutout innings and end the comeback effort. Anderson picked up his second win of the year for the Bulls and Geltz recorded his first save of the season.
???In the second game, the Bulls scored 12 runs on just four hits in a fourth inning that featured two errors, five walks, one hit by pitch and one catcher's interference call. With eight runs already across the plate in the inning, Pizzuto hit a grand slam to left field to increase the Buffalo lead to 13-1. Trinity answered by adding six runs in the bottom of the fourth, but Buffalo secured the victory with four more runs in the seventh, including two on Randazzo's second home run of the season.
???With the two wins against Southern Illinois and Trinity University, the Bulls improved their record to 4-9 on the season.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
