April 19, 2008

Final Stats

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - A pair of five-run innings helped St. Bonaventure respond from a series-opening loss and hold off a late-charging Saint Louis club for a 14-10 victory in game two on a picture-perfect day on Fred Handler Park at McGraw-Jennings Field.

The third and deciding game of the series has been bumped up to an 11 a.m. start on Sunday afternoon. The win stops a three-game slide by the Brown and White (18-14) and improves them to 8-6 in the A-10. The Billikens now stand at 17-19 overall and 5-9 in the conference.

After producing just five hits in the opener, the Bona bats more than doubled their game one output with 12 hits on the afternoon. Four different players finished with two hits as seven of the nine positional starters recorded a hit. Senior Randy Moley broke out a recent slump with a 2-for-3 afternoon that included two walks, two runs and three RBI. Leadoff hitter Kevin Suminski and senior Josh Sova also went 2-for-3. Suminski added two runs and two RBI, and reached base five times. Both of Sova's hits were singles, as were freshman Jamie Wallschlaeger's.

Despite leaving the game down 4-2 after five full innings of work, senior Michael Proctor picked up his third consecutive with thanks to five runs of support in the bottom half of the fifth. The lefty allowed four runs, only two earned, on six hits while striking out three en route to improve to 4-3.

The Bonnies took a commanding 12-4 lead into the eighth inning after plating their 10th unanswered run with a five-run seventh.

With the game seemingly in control, freshman relievers Brad Steinbach and Cael Johnson ran into serious trouble in the top of the eighth. The first three Saint Louis batters recorded a hit before Steinbach could record an out and hand the ball over to Johnson. The Frewsburg, N.Y. product faired no better as the first four batters he faced came away with hits. Johnson picked up the second out of the inning with a strikeout before heading to the bench.

Head coach Larry Sudbrook then called on scheduled game three starter Cody Vincent to stop the bleeding. One runner that was left from Johnson came around to score with Vincent on the mound to make it 12-10, but the lefty eventually got the Bonnies out of the jam. In all, the Billikens scored six runs in the inning on seven hits.

St. Bonaventure was able to secure more breathing room in its half of the eighth by plating two insurance runs to make it 14-10. Saint Louis reliever George Herbert hit junior Brandon Salerno and Sova to lead off the inning. After a well-executed sacrifice bunt by Wallschlaeger moved both runners over, freshman Jesse Bosnik drove in Salerno from third with a sacrifice fly to left field. Freshman Ryan Mosher singled to center field to bring home Sova for the final run of the inning.

Vincent came on again in the ninth for his third save of the season, putting the Billikens down in order.

St. Bonaventure took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth when Salerno delivered a bases loaded double down the right field line to bring home two for a 5-4 count. The Brown and White went on to finished the inning with a 7-4 edge and then added five more in the seventh.