April 18, 2006

Box Score

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - St. Bonaventure and Niagara split a baseball twinbill on Tuesday afternoon at Sal Maglie Field, each team winning by a lopsided score. The Bonnies claimed the opener, 8-1, while the Purple Eagles came back to win the nightcap, 9-2.

In the opener, St. Bonaventure trailed 1-0 early but went up 3-1 on a bases-loaded double by junior first baseman Brian Pellegrini in the third inning. The score remained the same until the Bonnies broke the game open with five runs in the sixth. Senior Dan Bratys plated two of those runs with a pinch-hit single while junior third baseman Matt Mardeusz had an RBI single.

Eight different players recorded at least one of the Bonnies' 12 hits in the first game. Pellegrini went 3-4 while Mardeusz and sophomore catcher Adam Grap each collected two hits. Pitchers Eddie Williams and John Zinnicker combined to limit Niagara five hits. Williams went five strong innings to pick up the win, allowing only two hits with four strike outs to even his record to 3-3.

Role reversal was the theme of the nightcap as Niagara jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two innings and cruised to the 9-2 win. The Bonnies could not figure out Niagara starter Ryan Virtue, who surrendered only four hits and one run over six innings of work. Kieran Malone recorded the visitors' only RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Pellegrini went 2-3 in Game 2 to finish the doubleheader 5-7, while sophomore center fielder Randy Moley went 2-4.

Bonnies freshman Jim Britton took the loss after he allowed nine runs (five earned) on 12 hits over four innings.

St. Bonaventure is now 13-12 on the season while Niagara is 19-14.

The Bonnies will return to action on Wednesday when they will host another Big 4 rival, Buffalo, in a doubleheader beginning at 2:00.