ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure baseball team (19-22, 7-12 Atlantic 10 Conference) scored double-digit runs for the first time in 22 games as the Bonnies snapped a season-high five-game losing streak with a 16-10 win over Temple (18-30, 6-13 A-10) Thursday afternoon at Fred Handler Park.
After not scoring in the 1st inning, the Bonnies plated runs in each of their final seven opportunities, with the key outburst coming in the 5th inning when they scored five times. The 16 runs are the second-most Bona's has scored this year behind only the 20 it recorded on March 1 against Mount St. Mary's.
Bonaventure pounded out 17 hits on the windy afternoon, the most in 25 games, dating back to March 24 when it collected 21 against Dayton in its second conference tilt of the season.
Three different Bonnies each recorded three hits on the day: junior Jason Radwan, senior Ryan Skellie and senior Michael Grieco. Junior Austin Ingraham drove in a season-high four RBI as part of his 2-for-5 effort at the plate, including his second home run of the season.
After a rocky beginning to the game by Bona starter Jordan Crane (5-2) in which he allowed three runs over the first four innings, the senior settled down just long enough to allow his offense to take over en route to his team-leading fifth victory of the campaign. The right-hander was hit pretty hard as he allowed 10 hits and seven runs, six of which were earned. Crane struck out three and walked one.
Cael Johnson tossed 1.1 innings of relief work, including the 9th inning in which the Owls scored three runs. Johnson allowed four hits while surrendering those three runs, walking two and striking out one.
The Bonnies opened the scoring first in the bottom of the 2nd when Nick Brennen laid down a perfect drag bunt up the first-base line to score Ingraham, who had led off the inning by reaching on a throwing error by the shortstop.
Temple answered with a pair of runs in its portion of the 3rd to take a 2-1 lead, but the Bonnies had a response of their own in the bottom of the frame. After a sacrifice bunt from Grieco chased Radwan to third and Skellie to second, Ingraham singled through the drawn-in right side of the infield to plate Radwan. Skellie later scored on an RBI single down the right-field line by designated hitter Justin Brozick to put SBU back in front, 3-2.
The Owls answered right back with a two-out double which left fielder Nathan Shaw had drop behind him on the warning track with gusty winds blowing out to left-center. However, Bona took the lead back again on a Billy Urban sac fly to left field to plate Shaw, who began the inning with a walk. For Urban, it marked the 15th time in 17 opportunities this year that he has driven in the run from third base with less than two outs.
The Bonnies then opened the game up with the five-run 5th inning to take a 9-3 lead. Shaw started the outburst with a two-RBI single to left-center, marking just his fifth hit of the season and third and fourth RBI of the campaign. Shortstop Michael Meredith followed as he redirected a 2-0 offering into center field to plate Brennen, who had reached a four-pitch walk. The Bonnies concluded their scoring thanks to a throwing error by the Temple third baseman which allowed SBU to tally two more.
Ingraham added to the Bona cushion with his home run to left field in the 6th. After Temple got an unearned run back in the 7th, Grieco dropped a single into left in the bottom of the frame to plate Urban.
Temple then scored six of its 10 runs in the 8th and 9th innings, while the Bonnies tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the 8th.
The two teams resume their series on Friday at Noon with redshirt junior Eddie Gray getting the start for the Bonnies looking to stop a streak of three straight no-decisions.
