Canisius
Bulls Rally Late to Defeat Canisius, 8-7
4/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo baseball team rallied in the bottom of the eighth to defeat Canisius, 8-7, on Tuesday afternoon at Amherst Audubon Field. Senior left fielderBobby Pizzuto tied the contest at 7-7 with a two-RBI double followed by a game-winning RBI base hit by senior third baseman Brad Cochrane to capture the win. Senior closerJeffrey Hains sealed the Bulls' victory, recording his first career save.
Trailing 7-5 and facing two outs in the bottom of the eighth with runners on first and second, Pizzuto belted a two-RBI double down the right field line to tie the contest at 7-7. With Pizzuto stealing third, Cochrane dropped the game-winning RBI base hit into left field, driving in Pizzuto for the 8-7 lead and eventual victory.
The Golden Griffins erupted for three runs in the top of the fifth to take a 6-4 lead with a three-run shot to dead center by first baseman Brian Burton. In the top of the sixth, Canisius added a run off a RBI base hit to bring its lead to 7-4.
Early in the contest, the Bulls tallied a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to recapture the lead from the Golden Griffins, 3-2.
In the top of the fourth, Canisius tied the contest at 3-3 off a bloop RBI base hit by designated hitter Jon Van Remmen just inside the right field line.
Buffalo recaptured the lead for the second time in the contest, 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth. Senior first baseman Rob Lawler drove in senior center fielder Adam Skonieczki from second base to capture the lead.
Reliever Mike Klaus (1-0) recorded his first career victory, striking out a pair of batters while allowing only three hits in 3.0 innings of work. Hains posted his first career save, striking out two batters in the final inning to seal the Bulls' victory.
Pizzuto and Cochrane tied for a team-high three hits and two RBIs. Pizzuto also finished with a pair runs and Brad Agustin collected three runs.
The Bulls (17-17, 4-8 MAC) will continue in their five-game home stand at Amherst Audubon Field when they face Big Four rival Niagara at 3:00 pm.
