Speckman's no-hitter leads softball to Saturday shutout

Senior pitcher Tori Speckman accomplished something Saturday that had only been done twice before in Buffalo softball history - throw a no-hitter.

The Bulls (16-15, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) defeated Ohio (19-15, 4-2 MAC), 4-0, on Speckman's historic day, but dropped Sunday's game 6-3 in their first two games of MAC play. Buffalo also split a doubleheader with Canisius earlier in the week.

Head coach Trena Peel was not surprised by Speckman's performance and even thought she could have pitched better.

"She was off today but it worked," Peel said Saturday. "I tell her you're only as good as your missed pitches and today she was missing but still had great movement. We haven't played the cleanest defense, and today with going into conference play, everybody was hyped and excited so that helped make great plays defensively behind Tori."

The combination of great movement from Speckman's pitches and excellent defense behind her resulted in her historic performance. No-hitters often yield focus on the pitcher's individual success, but Peel stated that without the support from her teammates defensively, the accomplishment would have been difficult to achieve.

Speckman earned her 11th victory of the season Saturday while striking out 10 batters and walking only three. Peel was especially impressed with senior infielder Tori Pettine's defensive performance.

"Our defense finally played where we want them to be," Peel said. "Tori Pettine made some awesome plays at third base, she stopped some difficult shots and there were also a couple good plays at first base."

Speckman took the mound again on Sunday but was unable to carry Saturday's momentum into the next game.

After being blanked on Saturday, the Bobcats made up for their lackluster performance with 11 hits off Speckman on Sunday, including a two-run home run.

Freshman infielder Savanna Norcio kept the Bulls in the game with a two-RBI single in a three-run fourth inning, but the Bulls were unable to score after that inning.

Buffalo went 2-2 for the week after splitting its doubleheader with Canisius (7-19) Tuesday. The Bulls dropped the first game, 8-7, in eight innings.

Senior infielder Heather Ryder and senior outfielder Holly Luciano led the charge for the Bulls with four combined RBIs, including a two-run homerun by Ryder. Buffalo held a 7-0 lead in the fifth inning but lost its momentum due to a seven-run Canisius fifth to tie the game.

"They finally got runners on and after a couple walks, they kind of just stole momentum after that," Peel said. "They rallied in the seventh and we just stopped going after we scored seven."

With a "chip on their shoulder," Peel thought the team played much better in the second game. Ryder earned the win in Buffalo's 6-3 victory as she didn't allow any runs after the third inning

The Bulls trailed 3-0 after the third inning, but rallied and scored the game's final six runs to finish the game. Sophomore infielder Ryleigh Fitzgerald hit a two-run home run and totaled three RBIs on her 20th birthday.

"Ryleigh swings it well and is a great RBI producer, she gets her hits with runners in scoring position," Peel said. "And today was Ryleigh's birthday, so it was great for her to get a happy birthday home run."

The Bulls will return to Buffalo for their next 10 games. Their home opener is set for Wednesday against Niagara (8-14, 0-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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