April 14, 2009
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
LEWISTON, N.Y. -
Behind a strong pitching performance in game one by senior Jim Britton, the St. Bonaventure baseball team earned a split in a non-conference doubleheader at Big 4 rival Niagara on Tuesday afternoon.
Britton's fourth career complete game in the opener led the Bonnies to a 3-1 win, while the Purple Eagles took the nightcap by a 9-3 margin.
The game one win upped the Brown and White's win streak against Niagara to eight games before falling in game two. St. Bonaventure is now 16-11 on the season as it heads into tomorrow's nine-inning affair at Canisius.
Britton improved to 5-2 on the season, marking the third straight year he's recorded five or more wins. The Erie, Pa. native struck out six and walked just two, while giving up just one run on eight hits. The win is the 18th of Britton's career, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on the program record books.
The Bona bats provided the senior right-hander with a run in the top of the first and one in the top of third for a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Brad Steinbach in the first and then driving home classmate Jesse Bosnik in the third.
Britton gave up a hit in four of the first five innings, but worked out of a jam in the third with an inning-ending double play and in the fifth with a strikeout with two runners in scoring position.
Freshman Michael Grieco singled home another run in the top half of the third to make it a 3-0 Bona advantage.
Niagara plated its lone run of Britton in the bottom of the sixth and failed to stage a comeback in the seventh.
The story of game two was the Bona defense, as it committed a season-high five errors that led to eight of the nine Niagara runs in the game. The Bonnies jumped out a 3-1 lead by the third inning, but the Purple Eagles scored the final eight runs of the contest for the win.
Sophomore Aron Meindl was the tough-luck loser in game two, giving up fours only one which was earned. Meindl lasted four innings before giving way to freshman Jordan Crane, who gave up five runs in two innings, all of which were unearned.
St. Bonaventure produced 16 hits over the two games. Steinbach tied a season-high with three hits in the opener, including his first double of the season, and added another in the nightcap. Sophomore Ryan Mosher recorded his fourth straight multi-hit game in the opener, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and his first career triple. Grieco and junior Kyle Gorby were the only other two Bonnies to have a hit in each game.
