Big Four baseball has seen better days.
The annual Big Four Classic baseball tournament pits Niagara, Canisius, St. Bonaventure and Buffalo against each other in a battle for local collegiate baseball supremacy. Unfortunately for the event, this year no team had better than a .412 winning percentage and together they totaled 92 losses.
Buffalo headed into the action at Sal Maglie Stadium in Niagara Falls with the worst record of the bunch at 7-25, though the team seems to have righted its ship in the past few weeks. Although their overall record isn't impressive, the Bulls find themselves in the midst of a playoff push, just two games out of second place in the MAC East and poised to make a playoff run.
"The guys know where we are, they know they need to take care of business, but they're excited," said Buffalo baseball head coach Ron Torgalski. "We have never been in a playoff hunt this late in the year."
While the Bulls struggle to maintain postseason position, Niagara and Canisius battle in the basement of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings. The Bonnies have their own problems, trying to get out of the bottom half of the Atlantic 10.
In the opening round on Tuesday, Buffalo drew St. Bonaventure while Niagara and Canisius were set to square off.
The Bulls fell behind early to the Bonnies as they posted five quick runs and by the bottom of the sixth inning had jumped out to a 10-1 lead. Buffalo managed to make it a respectable game posting six runs late in the game.
"We had some guys missing for classes and exams and we had a long weekend. I think that made us come out flat and not ready to play," Torgalski said.
Freshman outfielder Bobby Pizzuto was the only Bull to manage multiple hits in the contest, getting three of the Bulls' seven hits while driving in a run. Junior starting pitcher Tony Kurtz took the loss on the mound for the Bulls after allowing 10 runs in just over three innings of work. All but two of those runs were unearned as the Bulls piled up five errors in the game.
The Bonnies would tack on four more runs and the Bulls would also add another as the final tally ended up 14-7 in favor of St. Bonaventure.
With the loss, Buffalo moved on to face Niagara in the consolation round, while St. Bonaventure and Canisius battled it out in the championship game.
The game looked eerily similar to the first contest as the Purple Eagles hopped out to a three run lead in the first inning off a Buffalo fielding error. However, the Bulls clawed their way back, and eventually tied the game up as junior shortstop Mike Folli crossed the plate of a Pizzuto single.
Junior catcher Rick Oliveri continued to help pour on the offense as he hit a two RBI double that brought home sophomores Brad Augustin and James Piazza. However, it was Pizzuto who again stole the show, going 3-5, with three runs batted in and one run scored. The freshman really seems to be coming into his own late in the season as he paced the team throughout the tournament.
"Bobby (Pizzuto) has been playing with a lot of confidence, he's swinging it and he's really coming around," Torgalski said.
Freshman starting pitcher Jeffrey Hains got the win for the Bulls, giving up the three first inning runs but then settling down to keep the Purple Eagles at bay, while sophomore relief pitcher Steve Geltz came in to preserve the 8-4 win in the ninth inning.
The win avenged an April 10 loss to Niagara at Amherst Audubon Field and evened the season series at one game apiece. The teams will play a rubber match on May 1 in Lewiston to see who gets bragging rights for the year.
"It definitely helps to see the opponent before, it gives you an idea of what to expect from them," Torgalski said
In the championship game Canisius took it to the Bonnies, shutting them out 7-0 to take home their second straight Big Four Cup.
"You're never really going to know who the Big Four Champion is because teams have different things to play for, unless it's played on the weekend you're never going to get the best team winning the tournament," Torgalski said.
The Bulls will next be in action as they host Akron at 3 p.m. on Friday at Amherst Audubon Field.
