Although it doesn’t seem like it, because of Winter Storm Stella, the 2017 spring season is underway for the Buffalo State Bengals softball team. On March 3 and March 4, the Bengals found themselves in Virginia Beach, Virginia to open up the season. Unfortunately, the Bengals came back to Buffalo without a victory.

On March 3, the Bengals played the Rowan University Profs in their first game of the season. Sophomore Allie Block was on the bump for the Bengals. The Bengals held a 5-1 lead, but a pair of three-run innings by the Profs in the fifth and seventh was what hurt the Bengals.

Although going the distance, Block was credited with the loss after giving up eight hits, seven runs (three unearned), five walks and two strikeouts. Block also went 2 for 3 at the dish with a RBI. Senior Laura Crooks also went 2 for 3 at the plate. The Bengals lineup, however, struck out eight times. Profs defeated the Bengals, 7-5.

Later that day, the Bengals took on the Shenandoah University Hornets in the second half of a doubleheader. Junior Nicole Adams was on the mound for this one and she didn’t have a good outing. She went 4.1 innings with 10 walks with five earned runs given up with two strikeouts.

But the bats showed up for the Bengals with five runs in the sixth inning to let Adams off the hook. The game went into extra innings and in the eighth inning, sophomore Emily Frajdofer reached on an E4, which plated sophomore Cassandra O’Hern, to give the Bengals a lead. Block was on the mound when she inherited the lead, but Block was unable to close the game. The Hornets scored two in the bottom of the eighth to walk off.

The following day, Buffalo State took on the Frostburg State University Bobcats.

Heading into the fourth, the Bengals had a 3-1 lead, but things soon turned sour for the Bengals. The Bobcats scored six runs in both the fourth and sixth inning to make it a 13-3 game and it ended after six innings. Block was credited with her third loss of the season as her stat line goes: seven hits, seven runs (one unearned) with six strikeouts in four innings.

The second contest of the day was a bit closer as Buffalo State took on the Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets. Although the Bengals were outhit seven to three, the difference was just two runs. Crooks, O’Hern and freshman Kaelee Lynch were the only three Bengals to record hits.

Freshman Scarlett Whitman went the distance on the mound as she allowing seven hits, two runs (one unearned) with two strikeouts over six innings. The Yellow Jackets won this contest, 2-0.

The next 12 games for the Buffalo State Bengals (0-4) will happen in sunny Clermont, Florida as they head south during the spring break.

Twitter: @E_Rodriguez_24