March 31, 2007

Game 1 Box Score|Game 2 Box Score

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - After weather forced cancellations to both of its Atlantic 10 doubleheaders last weekend, the St. Bonaventure softball team was hoping that its 20-day layoff from game action wouldn't be a problem.

Unfortunately for the Bonnies, the rust came in the form of six errors and just seven hits over two losses to Saint Louis on Saturday afternoon at the Billiken Sports Center.

The Billikens won game one 10-2 in five innings and plated a run in the bottom of the seventh to take the nightcap 2-1.

St. Louis evened its record at 17-17 and more importantly moved to 4-0 in A-10 play. The Brown and White slip to 7-10 on the season and 0-2 in league action.

In the opener, St. Bonaventure jumped out to a 2-0 lead in its half of the second inning. Senior Anna Nagro led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a single by junior Kirstin Strong. With both runners in scoring position after a stolen base by Strong, senior Caitlin Grattan laced an RBI single into right field to plate both Nagro and Strong to make it 2-0.

St. Louis responded in a big way in the bottom half of second, scoring seven runs to take a 7-2 lead. The big inning was aided by three costly Bonaventure errors and two hit batters by senior pitcher Christine Keleher.

The Billikens tacked on one in the third and two in the fifth as they cruised to a 10-2 mercy rule victory in five innings.

Saint Louis starter Ashley Levan allowed three hits and two runs - all in the second inning - as she improved to 8-3 on the season.

Keleher gave up 10 runs, eight of the earned variety, on nine hits.

Just like game one, St. Bonaventure scored the first run of the nightcap in the third inning. Nagro sacrifice fly drove-in sophomore Amanda Kotz from third to make it 1-0.

Freshman hurler Sherri Thompson kept the Billiken bats at bay until the fourth inning. Again, it was three errors by the Bona defense helping Saint Louis. This time the errors led to just one run, tying the score at 1-1.

Thompson and Saint Louis starter Lorena Floccari cruised through their half's of the fifth and sixth innings to keep the game tied.

The Bona bats went down in order in the top of the seventh leaving it up to Thompson and the defense to prolong the game into extra innings.

Saint Louis' Brittney Schmidt reached base on a bunt single to open the inning. Following a fly out, Jill Pursell ripped a double into center field, but Schmidt was unable to score putting runners at second and third. With one out, Rachel Heet then hit a sharp grounder to Brianna Bricker at third base, who then fired a strike to Nagro at home to tag out Schmidt trying to score the game-winning run. Just as it seemed the Bonnies were going to escape, heartbreak quickly followed as Nicki Jost delivered a game-winning two out single to score Pursell.

Thompson struck out five, walked one and scattered six hits in the loss. Despite allowing two runs or less in six starts, Thompson is 2-7 on the season.

The Brown and White will get a chance to get back on track when they host Dayton on Saturday, April 7 in their home opener. First pitch is slated for noon at McGraw-Jennings Field.