BOWLING GREEN, OH - The University at Buffalo baseball team was unable to overcome an early offensive explosion by Bowling Green, falling to the Falcons, 13-7, in the second game of its final Mid-American Conference series on Friday afternoon at Warren Steller Field.
With runners on second and third, senior right fielder Charlie Karstedtripped a two-RBI single into right, driving in Cochrane and senior shortstop Jacob Rosenbeck for a 3-0 lead through the top of the first.
In the bottom half of the inning, Bowling Green stormed out with seven runs to erase the Bulls' lead, including a pair of three-run home runs. For the second straight day, left fielder Dennis Vaughn crushed a three-run shot. A few batters later, designated hitter Matthew Pitzulo mirrored Vaughn with a three-run shot to left field, giving the Falcons a 6-3 lead.
After Bowling Green added a run off an RBI double by center fielder TJ Blanton, senior reliever Brian Pullyblank replaced starter Pierre Miville-Deschenes, striking out Vaughn to end the inning.
Trailing 8-3 in the top of the third, UB scored a pair of runs, including an RBI base hit up the middle by Karstedt, scoring Rosenbeck.
Leading off in the top of the sixth, Karstedt kept his bat hot by crushing a solo shot to left field for the Bulls' 13th leadoff home run to start an inning this season.
Despite UB trimming back the Falcons' lead to 8-6, Bowling Green extended its edge with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Vaughn hit a two-run home run, his second home run of the day and third of the series, followed by a solo blast by third baseman Derek Spencer for a 12-6 Falcons' lead.
Senior center fielder Adam Skonieczki closed out the Bulls' scoring in the top of the eighth with a solo home run for his sixth of the season and 11th of his career, moving him into the top ten on the school career list.
The Falcons sealed the victory with a run off a sacrifice fly for the 13-7 victory.
Miville-Deschenes recorded the loss in his 13th start of the season, moving him into a four-way tie for first place on the school single-season list. In 4.2 innings of work, Pullyblank made his 23rd appearance of the season, tying for second on the single-season list for most appearances. Sophomore closer Kevin Crumb struck out a pair of Falcons, allowing one run off three hits in 2.2 innings.
Karstedt went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored. Rosenbeck and Skonieczki finished with a pair of hits and two runs scored each.
The Bulls (23-28, 9-17 MAC) will conclude their regular season in the series finale against Bowling Green on Sunday, May 22 with the opening pitch at 1:00 pm.