Thrilling Doubleheader Split Give Bulls Series Win

Saturday, March 30

12 pm

14-12, 0

Western Michigan

9-17, 0

Buffalo

Western Michigan

Thrilling Doubleheader Split Give Bulls Series Win

3/30/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

KALAMAZOO, MI - The Buffalo baseball team's weekend series against Western Michigan (9-17, 4-2 MAC) came to a thrilling conclusion Saturday afternoon, with the Bulls (14-12, 4-2 MAC) splitting the doubleheader to earn a series victory. After dropping game one 4-3, the Bulls jumped out to a big lead and held off the Broncos for a 7-5 win.

In game one, UB scored a run in the first inning after Jason Kanzler drove in Jimmy Topps with a double. Western Michigan flipped the script from the game before, overcoming the early deficit to take the lead. With two runs in the third and fifth innings, the Broncos took a 4-1 lead and would hold off the UB comeback attempt. The Bulls received runs in the sixth and eighth on a triple and double from Kanzler, respectively.

Anthony Magovney took the loss despite allowing just three earned runs in five innings. Ben Hartz was again dynamic in relief, scattering three hits over three innings to allow Buffalo a chance at the comeback.

After being held to just six hits in the first game, the Bulls had four hits in the first inning alone to kick off the second game. Two straight walks ignited the offense, and Alex Baldock drove in the game's first run with a single. Tyler Mautner followed right after with a two-run double, and Kyle Figgins capped it off with an RBI single. Another run would score in the second thanks to an RBI double by Ryan Tulloch, who made it a 5-0 game.

That appeared to be enough for starting pitcher Mike Burke, who cruised through the first five innings with just a single unearned run allowed. He would run into trouble in the sixth inning, though, allowing three runs to bring the host Broncos within one, 5-4. The Bulls would get a key insurance run back in the top of the seventh, on a sacrifice fly by Jon Mestas to score Baldock.

Burke's day would end in the seventh, after WMU loaded up the bases with just one out. River McWilliams would come in, and following a walk to bring in a run, he forced a pair of pop ups to escape a potentially dangerous situation.

After a quiet eighth inning, the Bulls got another much-needed run thanks to Mestas. Thomas Richards hit a one-out single and moved around to third on a passed ball and fly out. Mestas would convert with a single back up the middle to make it a 7-5 game. That would appear to be needed for McWilliams, who walked the first two Bronco hitters in the bottom of the ninth. A sacrifice bunt put the game-tying run at second, but two more fly outs would end the game. McWilliams went 2.2 innings to earn the critical save.

With the save, McWilliams now has five in the first 26 games of the season. He already finds himself tied with current Tampa Bay Rays reliever Steve Geltz for the most saves in a single season, after Geltz had five saves in 2006 and 2007.

The Bulls will start next week on the road at St. Bonaventure for two games on Tuesday, then host Toledo at home for three games next weekend.