ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – After getting behind by eight runs, the St. Bonaventure baseball team (19-23, 7-13 Atlantic 10 Conference) scored five runs in the 8th inning and had the tying run in scoring position in the 9th but fell just short, 8-6, on Friday afternoon against Temple (19-30, 7-13 A-10) at Fred Handler Park.
Catcher Michael Grieco hit his second home run of the season in the 8th – a two-run shot to left – as part of a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Junior Jason Radwan and sophomore Justin Brozick each added a pair of hits for the Bonnies.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the 8th following Grieco's home run, Radwan delivered a two-RBI double into right-center field. Billy Urban followed with an RBI single through the left side before a strike out of Ryan Skellie with runners on the corners ended the Bona threat.
Austin Ingraham led off the bottom of the 9th with a walk and Grieco was then hit by a pitch. An 0-2 sacrifice bunt by Nick Brennen set the Bonnies up with runners on second and third and one out, but Brozick stuck out and Michael Meredith popped up to end the comeback attempt.
Temple jumped on the board first courtesy of a six-run 3rd inning off Bona starter Eddie Gray, capped by a two-run home run. In Gray's previous three starts combined he had allowed just five earned runs total over 23.2 innings.
The Owls then added two more runs in the 5th to take an 8-0 lead before the Bonnies got their first run of the contest in the 6th when Brozick sent a two-out double into the right-center gap to plate Ingraham, who had reached on a walk.
Gray (3-3) lasted just five innings, tied with his first start of the season for his shortest of the year. The southpaw allowed eight runs on 10 hits, striking out six and walking one. He was relieved by freshman Cameron Carney, who tossed three innings of shutout, two-hit ball to keep the Bonnies in the contest.
A day after scoring 16 runs and pounding out 17 hits, the Bonnies couldn't get anything going offensively off Temple starter Matt Hockenberry, who limited Bona to just one run and five hits over his six innings.
St. Bonaventure and Temple square off in the rubber match of the series on Saturday at Noon. Sophomore Asa Johnson is expected to get the start for the Bonnies, and following the completion of the contest SBU's six seniors will be honored as they take their traditional final lap around McGraw-Jennings Field.
