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PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The St. Bonaventure baseball team (3-6) carried a three-run lead into the 8th inning Monday against Northeastern (6-4), but the Huskies forced extra innings and handed the Bonnies their third loss in the last four games by one run, 6-5, as SBU concluded its nine-game season-opening trip to Florida.
In the loss, senior Jason Radwan (pictured) continued his torrid pace to start the year as the second baseman extended his career-best hitting streak to 23 straight games with a 2-for-5 day at the plate, driving in a run. Radwan finishes the Florida trip with 21 hits in nine games, a pace which would shatter the Atlantic 10 record for hits in a season of 104. Radwan had multiple hits in eight of Bonaventure's nine games in the Sunshine State, accumulating a batting average of .488.
Unfortunately for the Bonnies, Bret Heath and Nick Lohrer were the only other players with hits against the Huskies as Heath went 2-4 with a walk and a pair of RBI, and Lohrer went 1-4 with a run scored. The five hits for SBU are a season low, and it breaks a streak of five straight games with double-digit hits. Billy Urban, who went 0-3 with an RBI, had his 16-game hitting streak come to an end.
Leading 5-2 entering the top of the 8th, Northeastern loaded the bases on Bona starter Steven Klimek before head coach Larry Sudbrook went to his bullpen. Connor Grey entered, but Northeastern tied the game up, 5-5, as all three runs were credited to Klimek. Neither team was able to get a run across in the 9th, leading to SBU's first extra-inning game of the year. Northeastern eventually won the game with an unearned run in the 10th inning on a throwing error by Heath following a catch in right field, allowing the runner from second – who was tagging up – to come all the way around with the winning run.
The Bonnies loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 10th thanks to a pair of Northeastern errors, but couldn't push across the equalizer as Thaddeus Johnson flew out to center to end the game.
Freshman Grey (0-2) took the loss despite the unearned run. He tossed three innings, allowing just three hits and walking one. Klimek left with a no decision after throwing 7+ innings, scattering six hits, walking five and striking out another while allowing five runs (four earned).
Northeastern got on the board first with a run in the 3rd inning and another in the 4th off Klimek before Bonaventure tied the game up in the bottom of the 6th off Heath's two-run single to plate Urban and Austin Ingraham.
The Brown and White then plated three in the 7th to take that 5-2 lead. The first run scored on Eric Jutca's sac fly to center, Radwan tacked on the second run with a single to plate Lohrer and Urban added the third following another sacrifice fly to left.
After playing nine games in 10 days, St. Bonaventure will now have 10 days off before returning to action in a neutral-site four-game series in Wilson, N.C. next weekend against Rider. The Bonnies and Broncs are scheduled to play one game Friday, March 15, a doubleheader Saturday, March 16, and one more game on Sunday, March 17.
