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PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Jason Radwan and Billy Urban extended their hitting streaks to 20 and 14 games, respectively, and despite scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the 9th, the St. Bonaventure baseball team (2-4) dropped a 4-3 decision to Air Force (3-6) Friday afternoon.
Trailing 4-1 entering the 9th inning, the Bonnies made it a 4-2 game on Radwan's opposite-field single to right to score pinch hitter Brian Weightman, who had led off the frame by reaching on an error. Bonaventure then pulled to within one on Austin Ingraham's sacrifice fly to center to plate Eric Jutca, but the rally fell short with Urban's fly out to right field with Radwan on first base.
Shortstop Michael Meredith (pictured) and center fielder Jonathan Diaz each collected a pair of hits in 2-for-4 days, with Meredith scoring a run. Jutca and Radwan both finished 2-5, and for Radwan it represented his fifth multi-hit game in six tries this year as Bonaventure out-hit the Falcons, 12-10, but produced a season-low run total.
The Bona offense entered the game averaging seven runs per contest to start the year – including not having scored fewer than five in any game this year – but Air Force starter Cameron White stymied the Brown and White to the tune of one run over eight innings, scattering 10 hits in the process and striking out five against no walks.
The Falcons jumped on the board first with a run off Bonaventure starter Eddie Gray in the 2nd inning. The Mountain West Conference member carried that 1-0 lead all the way into the 6th when it added a pair of tallies to take a 3-0 lead before tacking on another off Gray in the 7th.
Bonaventure got one of the runs back in the bottom portion of the 7th when Jutca singled through the left side of the Air Force infield to plate Meredith, who reached on a one-out double to left field.
Left-hander Gray (0-1) tossed seven innings, allowing four runs (three earned) while striking out seven and not walking a single batter. He gave way to freshman Steven Klimek, who rebounded nicely from a rough first appearance on the mound earlier in the Florida trip with two hitless innings and a pair of strikeouts.
The four runs that Gray and Klimek limited Air Force to represents the fewest runs SBU has allowed an opponent to score in a game this year.
St. Bonaventure returns to action on Saturday when it takes on Valparaiso at 11 a.m. Junior Asa Johnson is scheduled to start for the Bonnies.
