May 8, 2009

Box Score

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - Despite a pair of two-run home runs by St. Bonaventure sophomore Jesse Bosnik, Duquesne rallied with two runs in the top of the 10th inning to down the Bonnies, 7-5, in the Atlantic 10 weekend opener on a gloomy Friday afternoon at Fred Handler Park.

The loss evens the Brown and White's record at 22-22 on the season and 7-14 in the A-10. Duquesne moves to 12-37 and 6-15 in league play with the win.

After saving the game in the ninth, freshman Jordan Crane was charged with the loss on the mound to fall to 1-2 on the year. Duquesne loaded the bases with just one out in the top of the ninth, but an inning ending 6-4-3 double play vaulted the Bonnies out of the jam.

Prior to Crane's arrival, the Dukes knotted the game at 5-5 on a solo home run by Mark Tracy in the eighth off of reliever Cory Sudbrook.

Duquesne got to Crane in the 10th, though, when Bill Torre led off the inning with a single and advanced to second a wild pitch. After advancing to third on a groundout, Torre scored the eventual game-winning run on a triple by Brian Bernardo. In his first at-bat of the game, back-up catcher Anthony DeFabio brought home Bernardo for the insurance run for the 7-5 final.

After failing to hit a home run in the first 331 at-bats of his career, Bosnik has drilled four over his last 35 at-bats. Bosnik's 2-for-4 day at the dish featured a career-high four RBI. Fellow St. Marys, Pa. native Brad Steinbach equaled a season and career-high with three hits on the afternoon. Steinbach ripped his team-high fourth triple in the loss.

For the fourth time in five A-10 contests, the Bonnies accumulated double figure hits with 11. Freshmen Michael Grieco and Ryan Skellie each had multi-hit afternoons. Grieco went 2-for-3 with a walk, run scored and RBI. Skellie extended his hit streak to five games with a pair of singles.

Aiming to become just the fourth pitcher in program history with 20 wins, senior pitcher Jim Britton left the game with a 5-4 lead in the top of the eight, but earned the no decision after the Dukes knotted the game at 5-5 on the next batter. Britton struck out eight over his seven and one-third innings of work. Only one of the four runs Britton gave up was earned.

Britton retired the opening two batters with ease, but an error by Steinbach at third gave the Dukes new life. A single by Mark Tracy put runners at the corners for Bill Torre, who promptly homered to left centerfield to make it 3-0.

The Bonnies answered back in their half of the first with a home run of their own off the bat of Bosnik. Sophomore Nick Cunliffe worked a lead off walk and Bosnik followed with his third home run in nine games for a 3-2 score.

The top of the second inning was delayed 30 minutes with two outs.

Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth, Steinbach redeemed himself with a two-out triple down the right field line to keep the inning alive. Grieco bounced back from a strikeout in his first at-bat with a single up the middle to score Steinbach for a 4-3 count.

Britton settled down over the next four innings, holding Duquesne scoreless while picking up at least one strikeout each inning.

Bosnik gave the Bonnies their first and only lead of the game in the bottom of the seventh with a two-out homer over the 378-foot sign in left centerfield to give the Bonnies a 5-4 advantage.

St. Bonaventure and Duquesne will resume the series on Saturday at noon with game two of weekend series.