University at Buffalo
7-14
Niagara
0-3
Bulls Hit Three Home Runs to Blast by Niagara, 13-4
3/8/2026 3:45:00 PM | Softball
The Bulls struck first in their home opener as Bella Smithson forced in a run on a bases loaded hit by pitch. Niagara got out of the bases loaded jam only allowing one run.
In the top of the third, Buffalo led 1-0, but a three-run home run by Niagara gave the Purple Eagles a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the third, a bases loaded walk by Delaney Ellis scored Bri Delaney to make it a 3-2 Niagara lead. Tabitha von Kolen tied the game with an RBI single to right field to score Miranda Zipp.
In the bottom of the fourth, a bases loaded wild pitch advanced the runners as Nicole Allen scored on the play. On the very next pitch, Bella Smithson drove a three-run home run off of UB Stadium to put the Bulls in front 7-3. A fielder's choice by Emily Gorman scored Ardyn Hopf to extend Buffalo's lead to 8-3.
A sacrifice fly by the Purple Eagles in the fifth made it an 8-4 Buffalo lead. In the bottom half of the inning, the Bulls responded as Hopf drove in Delaney on a fielder's choice to make it a 9-4 lead. In the next at bat Hopf scored on an error by the third baseman's throw to first base to put the Bulls in front, 10-4.
It was a three up, three down inning for the Bulls on defense before they called game in the bottom of the sixth. Reagan Terwilliger led the inning off with a home run to left center. With a runner on, Abbey Nagel hit a two-run home run to end the game as the Bulls won, 13-4.
Genevieve Longsdorf earned the win as she tossed 5.0 innings with two strikeouts. In relief, Malena Toth threw a shutout inning with a strikeout.
Allen, Delaney and Nagel led the way with two hits each. Smithson racked up four RBIs with Nagel and Ellis each adding a pair.
The Bulls are back in action on Friday, March 13th as they'll open conference play at Northern Illinois for a three-game series.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Longsdorf, Genevieve (1-2)
L: Gianna Graber (0-2)
Batting:
3B: Carmella Phelan 1
HR: Sophia Marrero 1
RBI: Donnalea Barnett 1 ; Sophia Marrero 3
SF: Donnalea Barnett 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Carmella Phelan 1 ; Donnalea Barnett 1 ; Jolyn Gibbons 1 ; Sophia Marrero 1
Batting:
2B: Delaney, Bri 1
HR: Terwilliger, Reagan 1 ; Nagel, Abbey 1 ; Smithson, Bella 1
RBI: Gorman, Emily 1 ; Terwilliger, Reagan 1 ; Nagel, Abbey 2 ; Smithson, Bella 4 ; Hopf, Ardyn 1 ; Ellis, Delaney 2 ; von Kolen, Tabitha 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gorman, Emily 1 ; Terwilliger, Reagan 1 ; Allen, Nicole 1 ; Delaney, Bri 4 ; Nagel, Abbey 2 ; Smithson, Bella 1 ; Zipp , Miranda 1 ; Hopf, Ardyn 2
SB: Gorman, Emily 2
HBP: Delaney, Bri 1 ; Smithson, Bella 1
