Courtesy of UBBulls.com
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – The University at Buffalo baseball team put together quite the offensive outburst on Tuesday and got timely pitching as the Bulls swept a doubleheader at Niagara, concluding a season sweep of the Purple Eagles.
Niagara took an early 1-0 lead in the opener, but the Bulls tied it up in the top of the third when Alex Thrower singled to right field with runners at the corners, scoring Charlie Sobieraski from third. Niagara then scored two in the bottom of the third to regain a 3-1 lead.
Buffalo went ahead for good in the top of the fifth when the Bulls loaded the bases with two outs and then they got a hit from their top offensive threat as Vinny Mallaro blasted one over the fence for a grand slam and putting UB ahead 5-3.
The Bulls added two more in the sixth as Andrew Taft scored on a wild pitch and Sobieraski came in to score on a single to right field from Kyle Brennan.
Senior Brandon Mumaw picked up the win as he retired the last 11 Niagara batters that he faced. The win was his fifth of the season, second most on the team. Mumaw struck out six Niagara batters over the seven-inning complete game.
Mallaro and Brennan each finished with two-hit games as Mallaro, fresh off his MAC East Player of the Week honor, finished with four runs batted in.
Buffalo dominated in the nightcap of the doubleheader as it sent 10 men to the plate and score five runs in the top of the first, giving starting pitcher Ben Vey all the support he would need. Mallaro singled with one away to score the first run and a double by Chris Kwitzer plated another and put two in scoring position. Andrew Taft then singled to center field scoring two and a double by Brennan plated the fifth run of the inning.
Vey retired the first 10 Niagara batters on the afternoon, taking a no hitter into the fourth inning. During that time, UB added one run in the top of the third on a run-scoring double from Thrower and another run in the fourth on a double by Kwitzer, scoring Mallaro. Another long ball from Mallaro in the top of the sixth inning extended the UB lead to 8-0.
Vey scattered four hits over six innings, while striking out eight batters. Mike Kaelin pitched the seventh and struck out a pair in an inning of work.
The Bulls pounded out 13 hits over the seven-inning game as Mallaro and Kwitzer each went 3-for-4 from the dish. Both players, as well as Taft, drove in two runs in the game. Thrower also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-2 from the plate and drawing two walks.
UB will complete the regular season beginning on Thursday when the Bulls host Bowling Green in a three-game series. First pitch on Thursday is 3:00 pm.
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