April 6, 2008
Final Stats
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. -
After watching an early six-run lead evaporate, the St. Bonaventure baseball team used a two-out RBI single by junior Brandon Salerno in the bottom of the ninth to pull off a 7-6 walk-off win over Dayton to complete the Atlantic 10 series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Fred Handler Park at McGraw-Jennings Field.
The win pushes the Bonnies' season-best win streak to five games and improves their A-10 mark to 5-4 on the season. The trio of losses this weekend sets the Flyers league mark at 2-7.
For the second day in a row, the top performers for St. Bonaventure included the heart of the lineup with the 3-4-5 combo of Randy Moley, Anthony Randich and Salerno going 6-15 with five runs batted in. Salerno led the way with a 3-for-5 day at the plate that included two RBI. Moley scored twice, including the game-winner, and also drove-in two. Randich picked up his RBI in the first with a double to right center.
After a sporadic opening seven innings by the pitching staff, relievers Brian Hardner and Cory Sudbrook brought some peace in the late innings. Both Hardner and Sudbrook tossed one scoreless inning each, while trading spots in left field when waiting to face a certain batter. Hardner was brought in to face the left handed batters while Sudbrook took on all the righties. Sudbrook was credited with the win after recording the final out of the top of the ninth, which oddly enough, was a fly ball caught by Hardner in left field.
Starter Cael Johnson cruised through three innings before running into trouble in the fourth. Johnson allowed just two runs in four innings of work, but saw his pitch count quickly rise with nine hits by the Flyers. Sophomore Dennis Sherba took the mound for Johnson, lasting three innings while also allowing three runs.
The St. Bonaventure hitters came out of the gate at a blistering pace, tallying 4 runs in the bottom of the first.
Following a walk and a stolen base for leadoff hitter Kevin Suminski, freshman Jesse Bosnik smoked a line drive to right field but a miraculous catch by Dayton's Jake Hoover robbed him of a hit and was hurt on the play. Suminski tagged from second and scored on a heads up play after Hoover couldn't get the throw in on time. Moley kept the hits coming with a bunt single with the bases empty and came home on an RBI double from Randich. Salerno followed suit with an RBI double of his own to push the score to 3-0 against Dayton starter Sean Finn. Following two walks to load the bases, junior Ricky Pillitteri collected a sac fly to finish off the offensive outburst.
Johnson recovered in the first inning after allowing two hits from the first three Dayton batters but came back to strike out Max Navalinski and end the Flyer threat. Johnson was saved with a solid infield defense that turned inning-ending double plays in the second and third innings to snuff out a frustrated Dayton offense.
The Frewsburg native ran into control issues in the fourth inning after allowing back to back singles and a walk to load the bases. After striking out Flyer Ryan Nevil, Johnson was struck on the leg by a line drive for the second time in the game but made the force to home for the second out. A ground out to third ended the threat in the fourth.
In the home half of the fourth, Suminski led a two-out rally with a stand-up double followed by a Bosnik walk. Moley capitalized on the rally by splitting the outfielders in left for a two-run double to extend the Bonnies lead to six.
Johnson couldn't get out of another jam in the fifth after allowing back-to-back singles and a hit batter to load up the bases. Another hit batter and a blistering line drive up the middle knocked in two runs and chased Johnson. Sherba relieved Johnson and after allowing another run to score on a fielder's choice, he struck out Flyer Cole Tyrell to end the inning.
The Flyers rallied back in the seventh with a lead-off double from Swartzel and a walk from Nevill. With just one out, a ground rule double blast from Tyrell knocked in one runner. The Dayton comeback was complete after a bizarre two-run sacrifice fly with a spectacular catch from Jamie Wallschlaeger on a foul pop out from Jimmy Roesinger to knot it up at six apiece.
Hardner relieved Sherba in the eighth and gave up another lead-off double for Dayton but escaped unharmed after setting down two and Sudbrook finished off the inning. The Bonnies relievers struggled throughout the afternoon with their control, with five walks and five hits in five innings of relief.
The Bonnies' bats went quiet under Dayton senior pitcher Lucas Farden, who limited the Brown and White to just five hits with eight strikeouts in seven and a third innings after filling in for a struggling Finn in the second inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, Bosnik was caught looking to lead off but Moley found his way on base on a throwing error and stole second. Following a fly-out by Randich, B.J. Salerno came through in the clutch with a game-winning single to right field to plate Moley and finish off the sweep and move the Bonnies to 13-9 on the season.
The Bonnies will return to action Tuesday afternoon against Big 4 rival Niagara at 3:00.
