RICHMOND, Va. – The St. Bonaventure University baseball team picked up its first A-10 victory of the season, 7-6, in a nailbiter at conference foe VCU Saturday afternoon.
 
High pressure and tension can be used to describe the last two innings of Saturday's contest.
 
St. Bonaventure led 6-3 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Rams would not go away as they tied the games with three runs on three hits.
 
Pinch-hitter Jake Biscailuz had the biggest at bat of the game, coming in off the bench in the top of the ninth and working a seven-pitch walk to give the Bonnies what turned out to be the winning run. 
 
Ryan O'Connell came in to close the game out in the bottom of the ninth, but VCU hitters would not make it easy on him as they loaded the bases with three base hits.
 
The redshirt sophomore would strike out Nic Ericsson with the bases loaded for his first save of the season to end the ball game and give the Bonnies the victory and even the first Atlantic 10 series of the year.
  
VCU opened up the scoring in game two of the series with an RBI sacrifice fly from Brandon Eike.
 
The Bonnies answered with a three-run second inning, highlighted by a two-run double from senior Jack Putney to take a 3-1 lead.
 
St. Bonaventure tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth on a throwing error by the Rams' third baseman.
 
Starter Gabe Watts coasted through four scoreless innings on the mound, but hit a bump in the fifth. Liam Devine came out of the bullpen and worked the Bonnies out of a bases loaded jam with three straight strikeouts.
 
The Rams scored three runs in the fifth inning to force the change from Watts to Devine and cut the deficit to 5-3.
 
Freshman Evan Dieter plated a run in the seventh inning, knocking in an RBI single. He recorded two runs batted in Saturday with his other RBI coming on his first collegiate home run in game one of the series.
 
Watts started and tossed four innings and scattering four hits on three runs. Devine (1-1) earned the win on the bump for the Bonnies, holding the Rams to two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts in four innings pitched out of the bullpen.

O'Connell struck out the side in the ninth to earn his first career save.
 
At the plate, Putney led the Bonnies with two runs batted in.
 
With Saturday's win, first-year head coach Jason Rathbun earned his first Atlantic 10 victory.

In game one of the series which got underway Friday night, the Bonnies got on the scoreboard first thanks to a solo home run for Christian Szablewski in the top of the first.
 
VCU would race ahead, notching a 15-6 lead.
 
The Bonnies threatened in the top of the fifth with the bases loaded, but the Rams were able to work themselves out of trouble as the game was suspended following the final out of the inning due to rain. 

Game one continued Saturday afternoon with VCU notching two runs in the sixth and five runs in the eighth to secure the victory.
 
Freshman reliever Andrew Ayers set a new career-high with five strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched.
 
The Rams were led by Logan Amiss, who finished 3-for-5 at the dish with five runs batted in.
 
DeJohn (three RBIs), Szablewski (one RBI), Chris Hoalcraft and Adam Rankie each finished with two hits for the Bonnies.
 
The Bonnies and Rams will play the rubber match of the series Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

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