Buffalo State 5, Penn State Behrend 2
Ithaca, N.Y. -- The fourth-seeded Buffalo State Bengals (30-12) rallied for four fifth-inning runs to beat the fifth-seeded Penn State Behrend Lions (33-7) 5-2 in Thursday's opening game of the NCAA regional hosted by Ithaca College. The Bengals will play top-seeded Cortland Friday at 2 p.m. Cortland's first game will be Thursday at 4 p.m. against Penn State Behrend. The double elimination tournament continues Friday through Sunday.
Nicole Sabuda drove in the go-ahead run for Buffalo State and threw a complete-game four-hitter. She struck out three and didn't allow an earned run.
Sabuda broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth with her second RBI of the game. With the bases loaded, Penn State Behrend elected to throw home on Sabuda's infield grounder but center fielder Julie Joyce beat the throw and a second run scored when the throw eluded the catcher. Mariano followed with an RBI ground out.
One batter before Sabuda's go-ahead RBI, the Bengals tied the game on a single up the middle by third baseman Jo Banach. Buffalo State loaded the bases on a leadoff walk to right fielder Carly Lopez, a miscue by the Lions (who threw to second on Joyce's groundout but did not retire Lopez) and a bunt single by left fielder Nicole Maher.
Penn State Behrend scored a pair of runs in the top of the fifth on just one hit, thanks to three Bengal errors. A dropped fly ball off the bat of right fielder Lia Sorce scored shortstop Rachelle Lawrence (who singled to lead off the inning) and first baseman Laura Frischkorn (who reached on an infield error).
Sabuda beat out an infield hit to plate the game's first run, driving in Maher (who had two doubles among her three hits).