STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – A clutch two-run single in the eighth from Kyle Caccamise proved to be the difference as St. Bonaventure scored another Power 5 win at Penn State, 9-7, Tuesday night.
The Bonnies led 6-1, but a late Penn State rally had the game tied entering the eighth inning.
With the bases loaded following a walk drawn by Antonio Cordeiro and singles from Harrison Kaufman and Jackson DeJohn, Robert Mannino was hit by a pitch to force in the leading run.
Then, with two outs, Caccamise drove a single to right, plating DeJohn and pinch runner Jagger Nucci for a 9-6 score that would be enough to hold up.
For St. Bonaventure, it marks the Bonnies' second win over a Power 5 opponent this season following a win at Louisville last month.
Caccamise, DeJohn, Kaufmann, Adam Rankie, David Marshall Jr. and Ryan Davis all had multi-hit nights as part of a 16-hit attack for the Bonnies.
The bats got going for the Bonnies early as they scored in the second, third and fourth innings.
Paul Vossen gave Bona a second inning lead as he plated two runs with a single through the right side.
In the third, DeJohn stretched the lead to three with his run-scoring single to left.
Three straight two-out hits from Rankie, David Marshall and Kaufman gave the Bonnies a 6-1 advantage through four.
After scoring a run in the sixth, the Nittany Lions (11-7) would even the score in the seventh.
Matt Maloney delivered a bases-clearing double on a 1-2 count with two outs, matching the score at 6-6.
That set the stage for Bona's answer in the eighth.
Noah Czajkowski (2-2) locked down the win with the final 2.1 innings on the hill. The sophomore right-hander did not allow an earned run or a walk while surrendering just two hits with three strikeouts.
A pair of lefties tossed the first six innings on the mound as Gabe Watts (3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) and Bobby Finn (3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) were each strong for Bona's. Andrew Ayers also struck out a batter in relief.
The Bonnies (8-11) are slated to play in non-conference action at Rhode Island this weekend, weather permitting.
GAME NOTES
- The Bonnies improved to 7-32-6-1 all-time against Penn State.
- Bona's win at Louisville in February was the first for the program against a P-5 team since winning at Penn State in 2019.
- This is the first time that St. Bonaventure has scored multiple wins over P-5 opponents since 2008 when the Bonnies defeated both Boston College and West Virginia.
- With eight wins on the year, the Bonnies have matched their win total from all of last season.
- Rankie recorded his 10th multi-hit game of the year.
- Vossen extended his streak of reaching base to 14 straight games.
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