The softball team lost its last 10 games and needed a player to step up to end the skid. That player was junior third baseman Alyssa Ward.
Ward hit for the cycle on Tuesday to propel Buffalo (9-20, 1-6 Mid-American Conference) to a 10-4 win over Canisius (9-22) by going 4-for-5 from the plate tallying six RBIs.
Ward's four hits for the day made her the third player in team history to record four hits in one game. Her two-run homer was her third of the season and provided a 7-2 advantage for the Bulls entering the seventh and final inning of play.
"Alyssa and I didn't even know she hit for the cycle until after the game," said head coach Jennifer Teague. "She has been hitting the ball really well and has been continuing to make adjustments when needed. It was even more impressive in the manner that she did it by hitting a triple first then got her double, followed by a home run, and lastly a single."
The 10-run effort was the Bulls' second highest scoring performance on the season as the team received stellar hitting all around the batting order. Buffalo racked up a total of 16 hits including five players with multiple hits. Freshmen catcher Alexis Curtiss, sophomore shortstop Tori Pettine and senior designated hitter Kristin Waldron each had two hits for the Bulls while freshmen left fielder Karly Nevez added a career-best three hits.
"Obviously it was good to get a win finally," Teague said. "Our pitching, defense, and confidence finally came together - something this team can do all the time."
Sophomore pitcher Tori Speckman came up big for the Bulls, as she gathered her seventh win of the season. Speckman pitched the entire game and only allowed two runs while striking out eight batters and walking only three.
"Tori Speckman threw a great game for us," Teague said. "The coaching staff has continued to work with her on making critical adjustments and she was definitely effective in the win."
Teague hopes this kind of performance carries over as the Bulls will jump back into conference play this weekend.
"What I am looking for moving forward is just consistency," Teague said. "We need to keep [improving on] our defense, offense, and pitching like we did on Wednesday and continue to up our game in all of those areas. But consistency is the key this upcoming weekend."
The second game of the double-header against the Golden Griffins was cancelled and rescheduled due to inclement weather.
The Bulls hit the road this weekend for crucial conference matchups as the team looks for its second MAC win of the season. Buffalo will face Northern Illinois (16-21, 4-4 MAC) in a double-header on Friday and then face Western Michigan (18-14, 4-2 MAC) in a two-game series on Saturday and Sunday.
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