By Pat Tintle
Sports Editor
After winning 10 of its first 12 games, the baseball team has slowly sunk into mediocrity.
The Bonnies hosted the University at Buffalo on Tuesday at Fred Handler Park at the Marra Athletics Complex, but fell to the Bulls 9-8.
Buffalo came out swinging, as it scored three runs in the first inning off freshman pitcher Aaron Phillips. However, the Bonnies would fight back to tie the game in the bottom of the second with RBI singles from senior second baseman Randy Delanoy and freshman shortstop Cole Peterson.
But a five-run seventh inning from the Bulls put Buffalo back in front. UB never looked back and improved its record to 10-18, as the Bonnies fell to a 12-12-2 record.
Despite the loss, Coach Larry Sudbrook said he was impressed with the offensive performances from some of his players, especially Peterson, who went 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored out of the leadoff spot.
“(Cole’s) been an outstanding freshman player for us,” Sudbrook said. “He’s having an outstanding year if he was a junior or senior, let alone a freshman.”
Peterson stated that after playing a hard-throwing team like the University of Massachusetts, the Bulls’ pitchers were noticeably more hittable.
“I was seeing the ball well against the UB pitchers,” Peterson said. “We’ve seen some hard-throwing pitchers the weekend before against UMass, and with seeing them and then facing the UB pitching, it was much easier to sit back and see the ball and drive it.”
Peterson is one reason why the Bonnies’ offense has been a strength this season, according to Sudbrook.
“He’s just a high-energy, tightly wound kid who doesn’t really say anything,” Sudbrook said. “He really is a good teammate. If you tease him or joke with him, he just gives you a big smile and keeps doing his business.”
Entering the bottom of the ninth inning—and down by only one run—the Bonnies had the middle of the lineup coming to the plate. But the big bats did not scare Bulls’ sophomore pitcher Alec Tuohy, as he shut down the Bonnies in a perfect inning to earn the save.
Knowing that the Bonnies missed their final chance to attack, Sudbrook was disappointed with his 4-5-6 hitters.
“(Senior catcher) Dylan Dunn had a good at bat and lined out to the third baseman, but the next two guys went down weakly,” Sudbrook said.
Although Tuesday’s game was a non-conference matchup in the middle of the Atlantic 10 schedule, Sudbrook stated that every loss hurts, no matter the situation.
“You try to win every game you can,” Sudbrook said. “Last week, we went 2-2-1, and that’s about as mediocre as you can get, but the year before (this) we might have went 0-5. So we’re definitely getting better. Mediocre is a step up from where we were last year, but we would like to be above mediocre.”
The Bonnies travel to Philadelphia this weekend to take on LaSalle on today at 3 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at noon at Hank DeVincent Field. Posting a 15-18-1 (4-5) record, the Explorers are coming off a series loss to fellow A-10 competitor St. Louis.
The team will look to keep its hot bats alive this weekend, according to Peterson.
“(We’re) hoping to keep the hitting we have been doing going and the run scoring to stay high like we have been doing and to keep battling as a team and pick up some victories,” Peterson said.
