May 7, 2011
Final Stats
BUFFALO, N.Y.-The Buffalo baseball team got six of its seven runs with two out in the fifth and eighth innings, respectively, to power past visiting Ohio 7-5 Saturday at the Amherst Audubon.
UB improved to 11-31 and 2-17 in the Mid-American Conference, while Ohio dropped to 21-25 and 6-14 in the league.
UB first baseman Alex Baldock drove in two runs for the Bulls and had two hits, as did center fielder Matt Pollock, third baseman/pitcher River McWilliams and second baseman Andrew Smietana.
Ohio third baseman Bryan Barnes went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and right fielder Adam Gecewich continued his hot hitting with two RBIs.
McWilliams (1-0) picked up the win in relief for the Bulls, as he struck out one and allowed just a hit in the eighth and ninth innings. UB starter Kevin Crumb made it through seven innings, giving up three runs on four hits with two strikeouts and six walks.
Ohio starter Brent Choban (3-5) took the loss, giving up all seven runs on 13 hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in seven and two-thirds innings. Reliever Ryan Burgett got the last out.
After Baldock's homer to left in the second, Ohio took the lead in the fourth on a double to center by Gecewich and a sacrifice fly to right by catcher Trace Voshell.
The Bulls, however, answered with four runs in the fifth, all of which came with two out.
Ohio battled back to tie the game at 5-all with two in the seventh on a double to right center by first baseman Tyler Backstrom and a sacrifice fly to center by shortstop Wes O'Neill, followed by an RBI single to center by Gecewich in the eighth off reliever Kevin Hughes.
Choban got the first two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Bulls mounted another charge and scored twice on a pair of bases-loaded walks, one off the hand of Choban and the other off reliever Brett Barber.
The Bobcats got a runner aboard in the ninth, but left fielder Kory Burkhart lined into a double play, the fifth Bobcat twin-killing of the day, to end the game.
The two teams will play the rubber game of the series at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
