UB Offense Stymied in MAC Tournament Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo (18-35) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Kent State (38-17) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | X | 9 | 11 | 0 |
| @ Avon, Ohio | All Pro Freight Std | ||||||||||||
| Pitching |
|---|
| Win: STARN (9-3) - Kent State |
| Loss: Cameron Copping (6-4) - Buffalo |
| Buffalo Batting |
|---|
| 2B: none |
| 3B: none |
| HR: none |
| Kent State Batting |
|---|
| 2B: ROBERTS; POLEN |
| 3B: RIDER; POLEN |
| HR: none |
AVON, OH - Facing the number one overall seed in the Mid-American Conference in its first ever trip to the postseason tournament, the Buffalo baseball team (18-35) knew the odds were stacked against them. Adding in the fact that it would face the conference's top starting pitcher and total offense, the Bulls were stifled in its tournament debut Wednesday evening, losing 9-0 to Kent State (38-17).
Facing MAC pitcher of the year David Starn, the Bulls only managed three hits, with two coming from Mike Scarcello. After striking out 16 times in the last meeting with the Flashes on April 6, the Bulls were able to earn three walks to go along with just four punchouts.
In the first inning, the UB defense had a pair of errors that led to three runs by Kent State (all unearned). Playing on a field turf, the defense was slow to adjust to the quick pace of the infield but eventually settled down. Those three runs would be more than enough for Starn, who didn't allow a Buffalo baserunner to reach third base.
Jason Kanzler was the only other batter to record a hit for the Bulls, leading off the ninth with a single before the team's second double play of the game erased him from the basepaths.
The frustrated offense could not support what was otherwise a solid start from senior Cameron Copping. Throwing 7.1 innings in the game, Copping allowed just two earned runs and had a pair of strikeouts. Despite the likely end of the California native's career, he leaves Buffalo with a pair of impressive season records to his name. He broke Bill Casbolt's 35-year-old record for innings in a season (now with 98), and he made his 14th start of the season to set another program mark.
In a day where three of the top four seeds lost, the Bulls will now face the fourth-seeded Ohio Bobcats in an elimination game. The Bobcats lost 4-2 to Western Michigan in the first game of the day. In the previous meeting between the two teams this season, Ohio swept all three games of a weekend series at home. First pitch tomorrow is scheduled for 12:30 pm, with live audio again available through BuffaloBulls.com.