University at Buffalo
10-7
Providence
0-8
Bulls Split Opening Day In Florida
3/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
CLEARWATER, FL – Having not seen game action for nearly two weeks due to weather the University at Buffalo softball team was back in action on Friday and split a pair of games, defeating Providence, 6-2, before falling to Bryant, 1-0. The Bulls are now 10-8 on the season.
Senior Tori Speckman struck out 12 batters in the opener this afternoon as she picked up the complete game victory, allowing just two hits and two unearned runs. Speckman struck out the first nine batters in the contest, but Providence scored two in the fourth after a pair of UB errors.
The Bulls opened the scoring with two runs in the second inning as Hayley Barrow opened the frame with a single and came in to score on single from senior Heather Ryder. Another single from Tori Pettine scored a second run for the Bulls as sophomore Ryleigh Fitzgerald crossed the plate.
UB added two more runs in the top of the third inning to take a 4-0 lead before Providence cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Bulls regained the four-run advantage in the fifth inning as senior Holly Luciano drove in Alexis Curtiss with a double and Ryder drove in her second run of the day with a single, which brought in Luciano.
Speckman didn't need much run support with her season-high 12 strikeouts. She didn't walk a single batter and pitched to just three batters over the minimum.
Offensively, the Bulls pounded out 11 hits, including two-hit games from four different players including Ryder, Barrow, Curtiss and senior Sammi Gallardo.
The Bulls got another good pitching performance in the second game against Bryant from sophomore Nicole Aviles, who struck out seven batters, but the Bulls were unable to get anything going offensively as they managed just three hits over seven innings against the Bulldogs.
Bryant scored its lone run in the fourth inning and the Bulls were able to put runners on base in three different innings, including the seventh, but couldn't break through.
Aviles did walk six batters as she picked up the loss, but allowed just the one earned run. Barrow and Pettine joined freshman Ashton Earnhardt as the three UB players to record hits in the game.
The Bulls return to action tomorrow for a pair as they face Iona at 11:45 am and Rutgers at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Speckman, Tori (7-4)
L: HUNTLY, Taylor (0-7)
Batting:
2B: Curtiss, Alexis 1 ; Luciano, Holly 1
RBI: Barrow, Hayley 1 ; Luciano, Holly 2 ; Ryder, Heather 2 ; Pettine, Tori 1
SH: Luciano, Holly 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Gallardo, Sammi 1 ; Curtiss, Alexis 2 ; Barrow, Hayley 1 ; Luciano, Holly 1 ; Fitzgerald, Ryleigh 1
SB: Fitzgerald, Ryleigh 1
HBP: Earnhardt, Ashton 1
Batting:
RBI: MILLER, McKall 1
Base Running:
RUNS: BALDASSARI, Kiarra 1 ; PAIVA, Lauren 1
