???Returning to the Empire State after a three-game stand at Northern Illinois, the baseball team traveled to the Demske Sports Complex to face off against local rivals the Canisius Golden Griffins on Wednesday.
???Canisius (11-11) pelted two homeruns in the first inning and added two more runs in the second to take an early lead Buffalo (8-13) failed to overcome. Despite an opportunity to tie the game in the ninth, the Bulls were unable to extend the game and fell to the Golden Griffins, 7-3. It was Buffalo's fourth straight loss.
???Junior pitcher Chaz Mye had a rough start for Buffalo. He gave up a homerun to Canisius outfielder Perry Silverman to start the game and a two-run homer to second baseman Kevin Mallioux later in the same inning.
???Although the game looked grim from the start, the Bulls competed hard throughout the contest.
???"Our guys realize it's a nine-inning game," said Buffalo baseball head coach Ron Torgalski. "With the aluminum bats and our guys' ability to hit, we all realized that we could comeback. You see teams across the country coming back every day. As for us, we have been coming back in games all year long."
???But the comeback was easier said than done. Buffalo was held scoreless in the second inning and the Golden Griffins capitalized once again.
???Mye allowed the first two Griffin hitters to reach base in the bottom of the second inning. A single up the middle off the bat of sophomore catcher Andrew Russo knocked one run home and advanced the Golden Griffins' surge, increasing the lead to 5-0 when Silverman drove in a run on a ground out.
???With Canisius threatening with runners on the corners, junior outfielder Rob Lawler made a noteworthy catch to get the Bulls out of the inning. The catch marked the ending of Mye's day.
???"[Mye] is going to get a lot more opportunities to show himself," Torgalski said. "But he pitched like he was scared... If he can just relax and throw the ball like he knows how I'm sure he will come around."
???After freshman pitcher River McWilliams shut down Canisius' offense in the fourth inning, the Bulls' offense came alive. With two outs and no one on base, junior catcher Brad Cochrane singled to left field. Senior outfielder Eric Flynn put the Bulls on the board when he drove in Cochrane on an RBI triple.
???The very next inning, the Bulls continued their assault with the bats. Junior outfielder Adam Skonieczki led the inning off with a double to deep center. A single off the bat of junior shortstop Brad Agustin followed the double. After Agustin stole second base, Lawler came to the plate and delivered a key RBI single that scored Skonieczki and moved Agustin to third. Agustin crossed home plate when junior third baseman Jacob Rosenbeck knocked him in with a single. Just like that, the Golden Griffins' lead was cut to 5-3.
???"We always feel like we have a chance," Torgalski said. "There was absolutely no quit in the team and we were still competing. Thanks to our great middle relief and timely hitting, we still had a chance."
???Neither team was able to add to their score until the eighth inning when Canisius' team speed proved to be too much for the Bulls to handle.
???Canisius outfielders Shayne Willson and Ian Choy both reached base with one out. On a double steal attempt, the Bulls overthrew the bag and the ball trickled into left field. Both runners took advantage and scored to put the Bulls down 7-3.
???After Cochrane walked to start the ninth inning, the next two Bulls struck out. With two outs, Skonieczki singled and Agustin walked. With the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate, senior outfielder Chris Ciesla grounded into a fielder's choice to seal Buffalo's fate.
???The Bulls return to MAC play when they head to Mount Pleasant, Mich. for a weekend series with Central Michigan. Friday's game is slated for a 3:05 p.m. start.
