April 2, 2008
Game 1 Box Score|Game 2 Box Score
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. -
Clutch-hitting by senior Randy Moley and solid pitching performances by the entire staff highlighted a doubleheader sweep by the St. Bonaventure baseball team over visiting Big 4 rival Buffalo in its home opener on Wednesday afternoon on Fred Handler Park at McGraw-Jennings Field.
Four different pitchers combined for a 5-0 shutout win in game one, while a three-run fifth inning helped propel the Bonnies to a 3-1 victory in the nightcap to complete the sweep.
Moley delivered a two-run home run in the fifth inning of game one to help seal the win. In game two, Moley brought home the eventual game-winning runs with a two-run double down the right field line, again, in the fifth. The Buffalo, N.Y. native finished 3-for-5 on the day, with two runs, a pair of doubles, a home run and 4 RBI.
On the flipside, the Bona pitching staff was equally impressive as eight different pitchers took the mound over the two games. Sophomore Brian Hardner earned his first win of the season in the opener, while the game two win was credited to fellow sophomore Cory Sudbrook. Senior Cody Vincent picked up the save in game two after shutting the door on UB in the final two innings. In all, the staff limited the Bulls to just 11 hits and one run over the two games, striking out 13.
The pair of wins improves the Brown and White's record to 10-9 on the season, heading into this weekend's home A-10 series against Dayton. The three-game series will begin on Friday at 3 p.m. on Fred Handler Park.
In the opener, St. Bonaventure opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. Senior T.J. Pennino drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third thanks to a groundout and pass-ball. Freshman Ryan Mosher pinch-hit and brought Pennino home with an RBI groundout to give the Bonnies a 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 until the fifth when the Bonnies tacked on four runs in the frame. Freshman Jesse Bosnik hit an RBI single to score second baseman Kevin Suminski. Next up, Moley cracked his third home run of the season over the left field wall to plate Bosnik and increase the lead to four, 4-0. A pinch-hit RBI single from sophomore Anthony Randich rounded out the scoring in the inning.
Freshman Cael Johnson got the start and pitched a scoreless first before giving way to Hardner for three innings of relief. Junior Matt Stewart and freshman Aron Meindl combined to finish the shutout.
Like game, Buffalo was able to keep the Bonnies scoreless until the fifth of the nightcap. With the Bulls owning a 1-0 lead, Moley delivered a double down the right field line that scored Suminski from second and Bosnik all the way from first after they had reached on a fielder's choice and single, respectively. Junior Brandon Salerno provided the Brown and White an insurance run with two outs, with an RBI single up the middle to score Moley to make it 3-1.
Vincent then entered in the sixth and was on cruise control the rest of the way, striking out four over his two innings while not allowing a runner to reach scoring position.
Salerno turned in a solid day at the plate going 3-for-6, while Bosnik contributed a single in each game.
