Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Travels To Buffalo For A Pair Of Doubleheaders
4/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Marshall Travels To Buffalo For A Pair Of Doubleheaders
4/11/2003
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. ? Marshall will attempt to stay ahead of Buffalo in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference when the Thundering Herd takes on the Bulls in a four-game series at UB?s Amherst Audubon Field this weekend. Due to inclement weather, Friday?s game one will now become part of a doubleheader on Sunday, with Saturday?s doubleheader remaining in tact. Both twin bills begin at 1 p.m.
Marshall (11-18-1, 2-6 MAC) leads Buffalo (6-17, 1-5 MAC) by one game in the MAC standings and can pick up significant ground on the rest of the division by winning the series.
?This series is very crucial for us,? Marshall head coach Dave Piepenbrink said. ?If we win three or four games, it?ll put us where we want to be. We?ve got to go up there and get it done, that?s the bottom line.?
Marshall dropped three-of-four in its last series, a MAC East battle with Ohio University, but was able to extinguish the Bobcats? 18-game winning streak versus the Thundering Herd with a dramatic 4-3 victory at University Heights on April 5.
Buffalo, coming off of a 3-2 loss at the hands of Canisius on Wednesday, has collected just eight hits in its last two games after recording 15 hits versus Le Moyne in a 14-9 victory on April 2. The Bulls opened 2003 with a win over Duke, but then lost 10 of their next 11 contests, including a seven-game losing streak after the victory over the Blue Devils.
The Thundering Herd?s tune-up game for the vital series, Wednesday versus Rio Grande, was postponed to April 30 due to rainy conditions in the tri-state area. In its last game, MU was upended by Ohio on Sunday at Bob Wren Stadium by a 5-3 final score. The Herd led the Bobcats 3-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, but committed three errors in the frame that resulted in the 5-3 deficit.
Herd freshman Chris Koutsavlis (Pittsburgh, Pa.) has catapulted himself into Marshall?s number one starter position after an impressive no-decision effort in the lone victory over Ohio last weekend.
?Chris has been good in his last two to three outings,? Piepenbrink said, ?and has given us a chance to win each time. He?s thrown well enough to start the series out for us.?
Koutsavlis was perfect through four innings and no-hit Ohio through six frames to keep Marshall in the contest after the Bobcats registered 38 hits in the previous two games of the series. Marshall pulled out the win when Joe Glevenyak (West Palm Beach, Fla.) delivered a two-out, three-run, walk-off home run to hand the Herd a 4-3 victory.
Marshall won its last game versus Buffalo, a 7-6 victory on March 30, 2002, at University Heights. Current Herd senior Rick Suter (St. Clairsville, Ohio) picked up his first victory of the season in that contest. The left-hander pitched seven innings and allowed seven hits and three earned runs while striking out four Bulls.
MU leads the all-time series 5-2.
