April 9, 2006

Box Score

ST.BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - St. Bonaventure won its weekend baseball series against Charlotte thanks to a split of Sunday's doubleheader at McGraw-Jennings Field.

Charlotte won the opener 5-1 but St. Bonaventure won the nightcap 2-1 in dramatic fashion to take the series, two games to one. The 49ers had entered the weekend undefeated in Atlantic 10 Conference play.

St. Bonaventure trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning of the final game, but sophomore T.J. Pennino gave the Bonnies a 2-1 lead with a two-out, pinch hit double to right center field against Derek McDaid. Pennino's hit scored junior Joe Rizzo, who had walked, and freshman Tristan Mulcahy, who had reached on a fielder's choice.

Bonnies senior John Zinnicker finished off his complete game victory in the seventh. He allowed a walk after back-to-back outs, but coaxed pop-up from O'Brien Taylor to end the game. Zinnicker allowed seven hits, struck out four and walked only one as he improved to 3-2 on the year.

"We played pretty well defensively all weekend, which had been a sore spot for us to this point, and got the hits and pitching when we really needed them," Bonnies coach Larry Sudbrook said of the series win.

The Bonnies had just seven hits against McDaid -- three by sophomore center fielder Randy Moley, who finished 3-3.

In the opener, the teams battled through five innings deadlocked at 1-1. Chris Taylor got Charlotte on the board first with a solo home run in the second. St. Bonaventure tied the game in the third on a successful suicide squeeze as freshman catcher Brandon Salerno scored. Cory Lane's two-run single gave Charlotte a 3-1 lead in the fifth, and that score stood until Spencer Steedley secured the win with a two-run homer in the ninth.

Sophomore Cody Vincent suffered the loss in the opener. He allowed three runs - only one earned - on nine hits over eight innings but fell to 1-2. Charlotte pitcher Keith Moreland went 6-2/3 innings and allowed one run on six hits to move to 6-0 on the year.

Moley and Pennino both finished 2-4 in the first game while junior first baseman Brian Pellegrini went 1-1 with three walks.

St. Bonaventure is now 9-9 overall and 5-4 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The 49ers are 22-9-1 and 7-2 in conference games.

The Bonnies will return to action on Tuesday when they host Binghamton in a doubleheader beginning at 2:00.