May 11, 2008
Final Stats
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -
The St. Bonaventure baseball team moved a game closer to clinching a berth in this month's Atlantic 10 Tournament with its 15-11 series-clinching win over Saint Joseph's on Sunday afternoon at Latshaw-McCarthy Field.
The win moves the Bonnies to 13-11 in the A-10 and puts them at least two games up on a quartet of teams that are also vying for the sixth and final postseason bid. The Brown and White (26-21) received some major help this weekend as Dayton, Fordham, George Washington and Massachusetts all lost two games during their respective series.
With one weekend of conference play remaining, St. Bonaventure will head to Richmond (10-13-1) on Thursday through Saturday for its final three-game set. The Spiders were eliminated from the playoff chase this weekend. Game one will begin at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
St. Bonaventure jumped out to a big lead in the top of the first, batting around the lineup en route to scoring five runs. Using hits, Saint Joseph errors and a walk, the first five batters of the game for the Bonnies reached base. Junior Kevin Suminski put the first run on the board as he singled home leadoff man Randy Moley for a 1-0 lead. Senior T.J. Pennino struck next as he delivered a two-run single with a pair of runners in scoring position. Freshman Jesse Bosnik continued to swing a hot bat in the series as he capped the big inning with a 2-RBI single through the right side.
Starter Michael Proctor kept the Hawks (17-31, 8-16) off the board until the bottom of the fourth inning. After sitting down the opening batter of the frame, Proctor gave up four hits, including a double and a triple, as Saint Joseph's climbed back into the game to make it 5-4.
That would be all the offense the Hawks would muster off of Proctor, who lasted seven full innings. In the meantime, the Brown and White tacked on a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to give the lefty an 8-4 lead when he left the game.
Fortunately, for the Bonnies, they didn't stop there as every tally in their four-run eighth and three-run ninth proved to be pivotal down the stretch. St. Bonaventure pounded out seven of its series-best 15 hits over the final two innings.
Holding a commanding 15-4 lead in the bottom of the ninth, the Bona bullpen hit a wall. After Cory Sudbrook struck out the side in the eighth, sophomore Brian Hardner entered the game to start the ninth. Hardner retired just one of the eight batters he faces as the predominantly dormant St. Joseph's lineup erupted for seven runs off the lefty. Freshman Cael Johnson got his only work of the weekend as he came into record the final two outs.
Eight of the nine St. Bonaventure starters recorded a hit on the day. Sova led the attack with a 4-for-6 afternoon with three runs scored and finished the weekend seven hits. Bosnik recorded his third multi-hit game of the series and added a season-high four RBI. Juniors T.J. Pennino and Brandon Salerno each went 2-for-4 and combined to scored three runs and drive-in five. Suminski reached base in a variety of ways, scoring four runs. Moley moved into fifth place all-time with two more stolen bases on the day, bringing his season total to 26 and career total to 48. Moley was the ideal leadoff hitter during the series, scoring seven times and stealing four bases while reaching base in half of his at-bats.
Proctor improved to 6-3 on the season with the win and 21-16 for his career. His three strikeouts on the afternoon bring his career total to 210.
Before heading south to take on Richmond, the Brown and White will host its final home game of the season on Tuesday against Big 4 rival Niagara. Gametime is slated for 2 p.m.
