Bryce's Bomb Leads Buffalo to Season-Ending Split

Saturday, May 21

1 pm

14-37, 3-21

Bowling Green

19-29, 10-14

Bowling Green

Buffalo

Bryce's Bomb Leads Buffalo to Season-Ending Split

5/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BUFFALO, NY - It was a fitting end for Buffalo's senior class Saturday afternoon, as senior slugger Eric Bryce hit a walk-off solo home run in the twelfth inning to beat Bowling Green in game one, 3-2, helping support senior Josh Edwards, who threw 7.1 quality innings in the game one win. The Falcons won game two 11-3.

After the two teams matched runs in the second and third innings, the two pitching staffs took over, throwing eight straight scoreless innings. After Edwards finished his 7.1 innings of work, Kevin Crumb relieved him and was dominant, striking out four in 4.2 innings out of the 'pen, ultimately earning the win. The Bulls offense came close in the tenth and eleventh innings, stranding two runners in each frame before Bryce wasted no time, leading off with a rocket to center field that gave the team its first walk-off win of the season.

The first runs for Buffalo came in the second and third innings. Daniel Scahill drove in Bryce with a double to right center in the second and Michael Burke hit a RBI single in the third to score Andrew Smietana. Both Scahill and Smietana had terrific game one performances, with Smietana recording four hits and Scahill three.

Needing a single win to clinch a spot in the MAC Tournament, Bowling Green came out with a purpose in game two, scoring ten runs in the first five innings thanks to five UB errors over that span. For the game, the Buffalo defense committed six errors that led to six unearned runs.

Scahill remained hot in the second game, stepping up in the second inning and skying a two-run home run to dead center field with two outs, scoring Burke from third. The team would not score again until tacking on a run in the eighth inning on an opposite single by Jamie Jiron that scored Michael Scarcello.

Cameron Copping took the loss as the game two starter, throwing 3.1 innings and allowing seven runs (four earned). Senior relievers Jesse Reinstein and Mike Klaus threw a combined four innings in their final appearances.

With the season drawing to a close, the team will finish the season with a 14-38 overall record and 3-22 record in Mid American Conference action. The team finished May with six wins, the most of any month this season, and the 12 innings in game one matched a season high that was set May 6 against Ohio.