MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – A three-run eighth broke a late tie and sent the St. Bonaventure baseball team to a 7-4 win over Old Dominion Friday night at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
ODU (2-6) plated a run in the first and scored again in the fourth for a 2-0 lead.
St. Bonaventure (5-3) cut the deficit in half on a sac fly off the bat of Mike Gunning and would roar ahead in the fifth as Conner Vercollone smashed a three-run homer to right-center to push the Bonnies out to their first lead, 4-2.
The Monarchs, fresh off a 31-win season last spring as members of the Sun Belt Conference, used a sac fly in the sixth to pull within a run, but Luke Roggenburk came on in relief and stranded a runner at third.
ODU would finally tie it up in the eighth on a one-out single from Kyle Edwards and had runners at second and third with just one away. Roggenburk picked up a strike out and a pop up to second to keep the game tied at 4-4, however.
The Bonnies pulled back in front during the home half of the frame.
Chris Hoalcraft and David Marshall Jr. singled back-to-back and Gunning walked to load the bases. Antonio Cordeiro worked a full count before drawing ball four to force in the eventual winning run. Later in the inning, Morgan Little gave the Bonnies some breathing room with a bullet up the middle for a three-run lead as Marshall and Gunning both came around to score.
Roggenburk closed the door in the ninth to secure the win. He pitched four innings of one-run ball out of the Bona bullpen, improving to 2-0 on the season by scattering four hits without a walk while striking out six.
James Capellupo put together another solid start, working five innings while allowing two runs on three walks along with three strikeouts.
Little and Tucker Genovesi both had two hits apiece for the Bonnies.
UP NEXT
Bonaventure continues the three-game weekend round robin vs. host Middle Tennessee on Saturday. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. Central/5 p.m. and the game is slated to be broadcast on ESPN+.
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