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BECKLEY, W. Va. – Redshirt sophomore Eddie Gray threw eight shutout innings for the first time in his career to lead St. Bonaventure (6-8) to a win in the finale of a three-game set against Marshall (8-11) Sunday afternoon, 9-2.
Gray pitched his best performance wearing the Brown and White on a day when his team needed him to salvage a game in the series. In the previous two losses on Friday and Saturday, the Bonnies had been out-scored by a combined total of 32-12, but the left hander stalled the Thundering Herd bats Sunday.
He finished his eight innings of work by giving up just four hits and striking out six to increase his season record to 2-0. Senior right hander Brad Steinbach pitched the 9th, and surrendered the lone Marshall runs on a two-run homer.
Gray's offense got on the board early for him. In the second inning, Steinbach led off by beating out an infield single to the shortstop for the second straight day. The speedy center fielder then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Junior Ryan Skellie singled Steinbach home as he drove a 2-2 pitch through the left side for the first run of the game.
St. Bonaventure added another run in the third, and once again Skellie was right in the middle of it. Sophomore Billy Urban started the inning with a double down the left-field line on the first pitch of the frame, but was stranded there until Skellie traded places with him by sending an 0-2, two-out pitch to left for his second RBI of the day.
The Bonnies tacked on another run in the 5th on a Steinbach double down the left-field line to plate Urban who had reached on an infield single to short. Bona's added even more insurance in the 6th when it tallied four runs, three off the bat of Nick Brennen, who laced a triple into the right-center gap to give the Bonnies a 6-0 lead. They added one more in the frame when Brennen scored on a passed ball.
St. Bonaventure added another in the 7th on a Jamie Wallschlaeger single up the middle to score freshman Justin Brozick who had reached on a fielder's choice. Brozick then concluded the Bona scoring by recording his first collegiate RBI in the 9th when he doubled down the right-field line to plate catcher Michael Grieco who had doubled to left.
At the plate, Urban, Grieco, Skellie and Steinbach all recorded two-hit days, with Grieco and Urban scoring multiple times.
St. Bonaventure will be back in action on Tuesday when it hosts the University at Buffalo in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
