Bulls Complete Successful Fall Campaign
10/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Photo Gallery - Ontario All-Stars
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo, The State University of New York softball program concluded a successful Fall season on Sunday, ending with a 6-1-1 record, scoring 64 combined runs over the eight games.
"This Fall we have had a lot of learning curves as a team," said head coach Trena Peel. "We are young with ten freshmen and six sophomores, but the sky is the limit for our growth."
The Bulls began the campaign at the Nan Harvey Classic where they opened with a 7-1 win over Niagara before a late comeback fell short and they lost to Canisius, 8-7. UB came back to sweep Mercyhurst by the scores of 16-1 and 8-0, respectively and then this past weekend they defeated the Ontario All-Stars 9-0 and 7-2, before finishing the Fall on Sunday with a 5-5 tie against Adelphi in the first game and a 5-0 win in the second game. Adelphi is coached by former UB Softball Hall of Famer, Breanne Nasti.
Working 10 newcomers into the mix, the Bulls hit .329 as a team over the eight games, led by junior Savanna Norcio, who batted .519 with eight doubles, a triple, and 13 runs batted in, six more than anyone else on the team. Sophomore Leandra Jew hit .500, while freshman Adriana Lis hit .400, going 6-of-15 from the dish.
Senior Lauren Gambone hit .364 with six runs batted in, while sophomore Sarah Edwards drove in seven runs, hitting a pair of doubles and a triple. In all, 11 Bulls hit at least .300 during the Fall, including newcomer Courtney Gilbert, who batted .320 with two doubles, a triple, and five runs batted in. Despite scoring 64 runs, the Bulls hit just one long ball, that coming off the bat of freshman Katie Weimer.
"I always say, 'you have to score to win' and I'm pleased that we put up some great offensive numbers this fall," said Peel. "That's what it's going to take to win 40 games in the spring. To be a championship team you have to have great defense, pitching, and timely hitting."
In the circle, the Bulls had six different players pitch, combining for a 1.81 ERA. The performance was led by sophomore Charlotte Miller, who pitched 10.0 innings without allowing a run and striking out 18 batters, 1.8 batters per inning. Five of the pitchers had ERAs of 2.00 or lower, including freshman Brieanna Baker, who threw a team-high 13.0 innings and struck out 19 batters, while finishing with an ERA of 1.08.
Junior Bobbi Langlois recorded a 1.40 ERA, while freshman Lace Smith had a 1.91 ERA and struck out 12 batters in 11 innings. Fellow freshman Taylor Light and Aly Power also saw action in the circle as Light recorded a 2.00 ERA and Power struck out 11 batters in 9.0 innings of work.
"Our pitching staff has been a pleasure to work with," said Peel. "We have an even balance of rise ball and drop ball pitchers. I think each pitcher carried her own weight this fall. I'm excited to see them continue to grow and develop into a dominate force."
In the field, the Bulls committed just four total errors over the eight games, which pleased Peel. "I like the things that I saw from our team defensively. We had 120 errors last season, so that's been a big focus as a staff this fall."
The Bulls will begin their Spring Season on Friday, Feb. 12 at the 2016 Lion Classic vs. Tennessee-Martin.
