Sports

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Undeserving Broncos

Freshman's late goal nets Bulls' first victor

There is no better time for a freshman to score her first career goal than when it matters most.

Shutdown and shutout by Big Ten

Two shutout losses put a damper on the men's soccer team's opening weekend.

Unfamiliar Expectations as Bulls Begin Season

Bulls Spoil Rivals Banner Night

Davis sparks Bulls in Home Opener

A new look for the new season

Scouting Rhode Island

2009 Record: 1-10 (0-8 Colonial Athletic Association) Last Meeting: Nov. 7, 1959 Buffalo- 41 Rhode Island- 6

Replacing all-timers

The Bulls knew exactly what they were getting for wide receivers last season: consistency and reliability.

Freshman jolts running game

Davis named starting QB in Quinn's spread offense

A glaring hole atop Jeff Quinn's depth chart has finally been filled. After a summer of two-a-days and team meetings, Buffalo's head football coach announced that sophomore Jerry Davis will quarterback the Bulls' offense this season. "Right now, based upon all the time I've had to evaluate Jerry against the other quarterbacks, he really seems to be the most stable guy for us," Quinn said.

Sports Wrap-ups

Welcome to UB class of 2014. There are a lot of important things that you should know about our university, including what to expect from our sports teams.

Quinn era begins this fall

Expectations for the football team were high last season following the first Mid-American Conference Championship in team history.After a promising opening victory against UTEP, however, the Bulls dropped four straight games, which all but deflated them the rest of the way.

Three more players leave football team

Sophomore linebacker Darius Willis, as well as freshmen defensive linemen Matt Hornbuckle and Albert Sparks, have quit the football team, thus bringing the total number of nine players to leave the program since new head coach Jeff Quinn's arrival.

Confidence and chemistry

For two months last summer, Lee Nickell made his case to become Buffalo's men's tennis head coach. Former coach Sherif Zaher resigned in April to return to Egypt, and Athletic Director Warde Manuel's search for a replacement went national. Manuel was determined to find the guy who would make Buffalo's tennis program relevant.

Bulls catch conference crown

The rowing team topped five crews to win the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association Championships on Sunday in Sandy Run, Va. Buffalo competed along with Northeastern, Drexel, George Mason, Delaware and Old Dominion in three events on the Occoquan Reservoir in pursuit of the CAA crown.

Starks packs bags for NFL

The NFL Draft is the ultimate waiting game. Players around the country count the minutes until they receive that wanted phone call and their name is finally called at the Radio City Music Hall podium.

A fresh start

Following the departure of Turner Gill in December, questions surfaced at UB Stadium as to whether or not the football program would fall back to the bottom of Division I football, where it had been a mainstay since entering the Mid-American Conference in 1998.

Lacrosse club crowned South division champs

There are approximately 4,352 colleges, universities and junior colleges across the country.

Bulls on the ball in series finale

After dropping the first two contests of a three-game series, the baseball team was able to rebound with an extra-innings win to salvage the weekend series and top a conference foe. The Bulls (16-17, 4-8 Mid-American Conference) traveled to Muncie, Ind., for a weekend series with MAC West leaders, Ball State (16-19, 9-3 MAC). After dropping the series opener 11-5, the Bulls fell just short in game two, 6-5. In game three, however, Buffalo would take the Cardinals to the brink. In an 11-inning affair, the Bulls pulled away with an 11-7 victory for the program's first ever win against Ball State. "With the tradition that they have and the way they win every year, to be able to go down there and take one, and come that close to taking two out of three from them on their field says a lot about the way our kids played," said Bulls' head coach Ron Torgalski. In game one on Friday afternoon, the Bulls had to battle inclement weather as the game was delayed 90 minutes due to rain. When officials ruled field conditions playable, Torgalski sent senior pitcher Chaz Mye to the mound for his eighth start of the season. The southpaw struck out six Cardinals over five innings in the loss dropping his record to 3-4 on the season. Shortstop T.J. Baumet led off the game for the Cardinals with a home run to right-center field. The Cardinals tacked on another run in the inning, making the score 2-0. After a scoreless second frame, the Bulls cut into the deficit as senior second basemen Brad Agustin scored a run on an unassisted ground out to the first basemen. That was the closest the Bulls would get as Ball State went on to score four runs in the bottom of the third to extend their lead to 6-1. After a five-run outburst in the sixth, the Cardinals extended their lead to 11-1. The Bulls scored a run in each of the final three innings, but it wasn't enough as Ball State held on for the victory. In game two on Saturday afternoon, the Bulls came out seeking a win after suffering a loss less than 24 hours before. The game remained scoreless after the first inning before senior center fielder Adam Skonieczki gave the Bulls a 1-0 lead with solo home run to right field at the start of the second inning. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Agustin cleared the bases with a single up the middle to give the Bulls a 3-0 edge. Two batters later, senior designated hitter Brad Cochrane hit an RBI single and Agustin scored to extend the Bulls a lead to 4-0. The Bulls pushed across another run in the top of the third to make it a 5-0 game but the Cardinals stormed back with three runs in the bottom half of the third to cut Buffalo's lead to two. The Cardinals then scored one run in each of the next three innings to take a 6-5 lead after six innings. Skoneiczki had two chances to bring the Bulls back and each time was reminded why baseball in the game of inches. With runners on second and third in the seventh inning, Skonieczki hit a shot down the line that just bent into foul territory. In the ninth inning, Skonieczki again found himself at bat with runners in scoring position. With two outs on the board, Skonieczki made solid contact and the ball looked to be heading over the fence. Unfortunately, Skonieczki's shot fell just short and landed in the outfielder's glove on the warning track to end the game. Still hoping to capture the school's first win over the Cardinals, Torgalski and company went into game three confident they could take the final contest before heading home. Down 4-1 going into the top of the sixth inning, Agustin hit a two-run home run to right field to cut the lead to 4-3. The Bulls took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth inning after Cochrane singled through the right side of the infield. The Cardinals got one back to tie the game in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run. The Bulls regained the lead in the top of the ninth inning by scoring two runs on a pair of RBI hits by Agustin and junior right fielder David Neff. True to nature, the Cardinals came back and tied the game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game into extra innings tied at seven. In the top of the eleventh, Agustin continued his torrid day as he gave the Bulls a 9-7 lead with a two-run single. Senior left fielder Bobby Pizzuto followed up with a two-run homer to extend the Bulls lead to 11-7. Senior pitcher Brian Pullyblank shut down the Cardinals for good in the bottom of the eleventh inning to earn his second victory of the season over three innings of work. It marked the first ever win for the Bulls over perennial contender Ball State. In the victory the Bulls pounded out 23 hits, including five homeruns. "I thought we were aggressive at the plate today, we had some clutch hitting with guys in scoring position with two outs," Torgalski said. Agustin went 5-for-6 in the series finale with five RBI's and hit his sixth home run of the season. The Bulls begin a five-game home stand on Tuesday as they face local rival Canisus at Amherst Audubon Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com