April 9, 2009

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - Despite four Xavier runs in the top of the ninth, the St. Bonaventure baseball team returned to its winning ways on Friday afternoon with a 7-6 Atlantic 10 series opening win over the visiting Musketeers at Fred Handler Park.

The win puts an end to the Brown and White's four-game losing streak against Xavier, as they improve to 14-9 overall and 4-5 in the A-10. Xavier falls to 15-12 with the loss and 5-5 in conference play. The home team has won the last eight games in the series.

St. Bonaventure pounded out double-digits hits for the fourth consecutive game and 14th time this season with 14 hits on the afternoon. Batting in the leadoff position for the first time in his career, junior Kyle Gorby went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, two doubles and two RBI. Sophomore Brad Steinbach cracked his first home run of the season during his 2-for-4 day at the dish.

The combination of senior pitcher Jim Britton and the Bona bats gave the Bonnies command of the game early. Britton retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced over the four innings while he received six runs of support.

Gorby led off the game with a double down the left field line and was later brought home by an RBI groundout by Anthony Randich to make it 1-0. With two outs and Kevin Suminski on third, Steinbach drilled his second career home run over the left field wall to make it 3-0.

The Bonnies tacked on three more in the bottom of the fourth to bulk the lead up to 6-0. Gorby drove home two runs with his second double of the game, while Suminski's RBI single to right field pushed it to a six-run game.

Xavier finally got to Britton in the fifth, scoring two runs in the right-handers last full inning of work. Britton lasted until the middle of the sixth inning with the Brown and White holding a 7-2 lead.

The work of junior Cory Sudbrook, redshirt freshman Michael Pease and Steinbach on the mound made the 7-2 advantage stay until the top of the ninth.

Steinbach drilled his first home run of the season in the first inning.

The Musketeers roughed up Steinbach for four runs on four hits and had the game-tying run on second and the go-ahead run of first with two outs. Steinbach then got Bobby Freking to ground into a fielder's choice to get the force out at second to end the game.

Britton got the win on the mound moving him to 4-2 on the season. The Erie, Pa. product now has 17 career wins, including an impressive 13 in A-10 action. Britton gave up four hits, two runs and had four strikeouts.

Making his first career start behind the plate, freshman Michael Grieco had a solid afternoon at the plate going 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and an RBI. Suminski had two steals to go along with his ninth multi-hit game of the season. Sophomore Ryan Mosher also went 2-for-4 with a run scored.

The two teams will return to the diamond for game two on Friday at noon.