The men's lacrosse team scheduled five games over Spring Break to open its season. Buffalo ultimately played about six-and-a-half games, though. The Bulls (4-1) traveled to Nashville, Tenn., Tuscaloosa, Ala., Orlando, Fla., and Morgantown, W.Va., over break.
UB's dreams of consecutive Northeast Collegiate Hockey League Tournament (NECHL) titles came to an end Saturday night. Niagara University (15-9, 10-4 NECHL), defeated the Bulls (24-9, 12-2 NECHL), 3-1, at The Northtown Center in front of an electrified crowd. It was a disappointing night for the Bulls, who had several power play opportunities and 24 shots in the second period.
Despite the men's ice hockey team's dominant play in the first two and a half periods in Saturday's game against Rochester College, the game was tied at 1-1 late in the third period.
Last weekend, the rowing team had to fight off the weather and its opponents to prove it can repeat last year's success after the previous meet's disappointment. The defending Colonial Athletic Association champions traveled to Michigan and came out victorious in two races against Grand Valley State University.
Most students probably can't spell Saskatchewan, let alone find the province on a map, but luckily for the baseball team, Eric Bryce was able to find his way over the border and into a Bulls uniform.
Tuesday afternoon, the baseball team capitalized in back-to-back showdowns, finishing with five consecutive victories as non-conference play concluded. The Bulls (7-11) are confident going into Mid-American Conference play following two impressive victories over St.
When James Starks walked into the press conference room in Alumni Arena on Tuesday night, the young NFL running back's smile was infectious. Starks, a former Bulls running back who won a Super Bowl two Sundays ago with the Green Bay Packers, was grinning ear-to-ear as he sat down with the media before the men's basketball team took on Ohio University. After returning to Western New York a week and a half ago, Starks has been greeted with nothing but love from his family and friends. "I came home, and saw all of the support I had," Starks said.
If a foreigner visited UB for one winter day, they would probably assume we field a pretty good hockey team. Sadly to say, our university does not have a DI-level varsity hockey program ever since it was dropped in 1988.
Bradley Parker navigated his way through the crowd, dodging elbows, shoves, and dirty looks while dozens of people waited in line to enter The Northside bar Saturday night on Main Street. According to Parker, a sophomore communication major, the bar was rowdier, hotter and more packed than normal.
This year's baseball team is capable of blowing a team out, or coming up big in a close game. Buffalo did it all in their three games against local rivals this week.
Playoff fever is back in the Queen City.It's been three years since Buffalonians felt the whirlwind of emotions that playoff hockey brings, but finally, the Stanley Cup playoffs are back at the HSBC Arena.
Toledo's baseball team scored early and often in its three-game series against the Bulls, tallying 43 runs over the weekend as they swept Buffalo, winning, 8-5, 18-4 and 17-8. In the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, Toledo (21-9, 8-1 MAC) jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. The Rockets put together two back-to-back RBI doubles that helped them gain an early lead. They were able to strike again in the third inning for another two runs when junior outfielder Dan Sherwood homered to centerfield. Toledo added another run in the fifth, making the score 5-0. But Buffalo (13-14, 3-6 MAC) didn't let the early deficit ruin their chance of coming back. Freshman catcher Tom Murphy started the Bulls' rally by putting them on the scoreboard for the first time all day with a solo home run to dead center. Senior outfielder Charlie Karstedt slimmed the Rockets' lead to 5-2 with an RBI single to right field. Facing a 5-2 deficit with only three innings to play, the Bulls' needed someone to step up and get a big hit. Senior designated hitter Brad Cochrane answered the Bulls' call in the bottom of the seventh inning, delivering a monster three-run homerun that tied the game, 5-5. "[After we tied the game] there was some energy in the dugout," said head coach Ron Torgalski. "I thought we spotted them some cheap runs early but [despite some early mishaps] I thought we had out-played them up until that point." But the Bulls were unable to transfer their fiery hitting over to defense. With two runners on in the top of the eighth inning, Rockets' junior outfielder Jared Hoying hit a routine fly ball to centerfield. Buffalo's senior outfielder Adam Skonieczki, however, failed to make the catch, committing a costly error that allowed two Rockets to score, spoiling the Bulls' hopes of defeating their conference-rival. Toledo added an insurance run in the top of the ninth to account for the final score, 8-5. "After the three-run homer, I thought the momentum had swung toward us," Torgalski said. "But we misplayed a ball with two outs and that really hurt us." The game wasn't a complete wash as three players hit .500 in the contest. Cochrane, Karstedt and Murphy each went 2-for-4 and Cochrane recorded a team-high three RBIs with his homerun. In the nightcap of the doubleheader, Toledo demonstrated why it's atop the MAC West Division. Toledo jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run shot by Sherwood. The designated hitter had a monster night, going 5-for-5, collecting seven RBIs while hitting a homerun, two triples, and two doubles. Bulls' senior shortstop Jacob Rosenbeck nailed a solo shot to right field, but it simply wasn't enough. Toledo rocketed out to a 17-run lead, proving that its high-octane offense was too much for Buffalo to handle. The Rockets hammered the Bulls for 18 runs on 20 hits. The one bright spot for Buffalo during the disappointing loss was a three-run home run in the eighth inning that came off the bat of Karstedt. Karstedt, who was the designated hitter in this game, went 1-for-2 in the contest with a home run, three RBIs, and a walk. Buffalo, however, went on to lose the game, 18-4. Windy weather didn't help the Bulls as they had a difficult time adjusting to the conditions. "The wind on Saturday changed the whole game," Torgalski said. "If you [hit] a ball in the air, it was going [to travel far]. We misplayed a couple of balls and that hurt us. We just didn't make the necessary adjustments in the field and they did." In the final contest of a three-game set, Toledo continued to dominate early. The Rockets scored fours runs in the first and added another five in the second to take an early 9-0 lead. Rosenbeck, Karstedt and senior left fielder Bobby Pizzuto went 9-for-14 combined, but their offense couldn't overcome the early deficit. The Bulls hit the ball well, but they lost the momentum in the opening innings and never came back. The series against Toledo was highlighted by fast starts for the Rockets. Buffalo had to play catch up in most of the contests and weren't able to rally back to beat a strong Toledo team. "They just jumped on us early," Torgalski said. "We didn't make plays and they had the momentum going. As a team, we talk about jumping on our opponents early and [Toledo was] able to do that to us. They scored in the first [inning] of all three games, making it really tough for us to battle back." Buffalo will be back in action Tuesday as it hosts St. Bonaventure for a doubleheader, starting at 2 p.m. They follow the home game on Wednesday with a trip to Niagara at 3 p.m. E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
Although we are fighting off 40-degree weather, Spring Training has basically come and gone. Bats have been swung, pitches have been thrown, rotations have been set and injuries have been recorded. And as April 4 approaches, teams are ready to take the diamond for another 162-game season. The editors at The Spectrum have compiled a brief list of teams to watch and ones that will flop and have set in stone their predictions. Enjoy. Teams to Watch American League Texas Rangers: Coke scandals aside, the Rangers are the real deal. They missed the playoffs last year, but the Rangers have a young core of talented players and made a serious push at the end of last season. Although the AL West has been dominated by the Los Angeles Angels for the past five years, the 2010 playoff spot will be home to the Rangers. Scott Feldman is their No. 1 pitcher and went 17-8 last season. Look for him to have a breakout 20-win campaign and lead the Rangers' rotation to a trip to the postseason. He'll receive plenty of help from Rich Harden on the mound and Vladimir Guerrero in the outfield and at the plate. One word for the Rangers this season: dangerous. -Wiktor National League Philadelphia Phillies: It's the easy choice, but it's also the right one. Look for the Phillies to repeat as National League champions. Their lineup is absolutely loaded from top to bottom and they are also one of the MLB's best defensive teams. Philadelphia's three, four, and five hitters, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth, respectively, all have slugging percentages over .500 at their batting positions. Though they lost left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners, they acquired six-time All-Star Roy Halladay, who dominated as a Toronto Blue Jay last season. Their lone question mark remains Brad Lidge, who should be making his yearly decision about whether to play brilliantly or horribly any day now. Expect another deep playoff run and many more Jimmy Rollins commercials. -Hammill Teams to Flop American League Boston Red Sox: Everyone is back on the "Baastin" bandwagon after the team seemingly bolstered its rotation in the off-season by adding John Lackey of the Anaheim Angels. While pitching may win championships, you do need some semblance of a line-up to compete. Don't get me wrong here, the Red Sox could be "wicked good," but I don't feel they did enough to combat the Yankees in the division. The Boston rotation is filled with guys that are familiar with the disabled list. Josh Beckett is the key for Boston to make it back to a World Series. If he returns to the dominating force he once was, opposing batters beware. He won 17 games last year and struck out 199 batters, but got knocked around by the Angels in the first round of the playoffs. The Sox hope that by adding Lackey, who also couldn't beat the Yankees in October, the combo will be enough to take out the hated Bronx Bombers. I don't see it happening. -Parrino National League New York Mets: No hometown favoritism here: the Mets are just that bad. We all know how the last two seasons panned out, but I love bringing it up anyway. Injuries and late season collapses have plagued the squad from Queens and even a brand new multi-million dollar stadium won't help the blue and orange. Jose Reyes has already struggled with injuries this season, and although he looks like he may start the first game, it's only a matter of time until someone else goes down. Even with Carlos Beltran out, fans swear that this is their year. I can't deny that the team's offense can do damage, but that's only if they stay healthy. And as the past few seasons have shown, that's a big ‘if'. -Wiktor Predictions American League Cy Young AW: Felix Hernandez. He went 19-5 last year with a 2.49 ERA and he's only 23. This Venezuelan has dirty stuff and will make batters looks silly all season long. MP: C.C. Sabathia. He won 19 games a season ago and as he get more comfortable in the big apple I fully expect him to improve on that total. The Yankees got better in the outfield defensively and will provide a more solid backing for the pitching staff. MVP AW: Mark Teixeira. He was the heart and soul of the World Champs just a season ago and has found his home in New York. MP: A-Rod The Bronx Bomber will return to icon status this year and continue where he left off last season when his team won the World Series. His numbers will look more like they have in past MVP years and his contributions will help the Yankees win the AL East. National League Cy Young AW: Roy Halladay. He was a powerhouse on a struggling team last year, so just imagine the damage he'll do when all of his games will matter. Expect another stellar year. MP: Roy Halladay. I think this award was won the day the Phillies executed the trade to bring the best pitcher in baseball to the Phillies. He gives the club the closest thing to a guaranteed victory every five days as there is in the league. MVP AW: Ryan Howard. Coming off of a season where he hit 45 homers and drove in 141 RBIs, the lefty is looking to show the league he's as dominant as he was when he won the NL MVP in 2006. The middle of the Phillies' lineup is lethal and Howard is its driving force. MP: Albert Pujols. Look for Pujols to lead the league in home runs this season as he adds another 50 or so to his total. Albert is one of those players that can single handedly put a team on his back late in the season. World Series AW: Yankees over Cardinals in 6 games. MP: Yankees over Rockies in 7 games. E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
Baseball
The nice weather at Lee Jackson Field in Akron, Ohio is the only positive thing the baseball team experienced during their games against the Akron Zips on Friday and Saturday.Trying to make a final push towards a Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament bid, Buffalo (15-25, 3-13 MAC) faced the red-hot Akron Zips (14-26, 8-9 MAC) for a vital in-conference series.
Solutions by The State News
