ST. LOUIS, Mo. – On a night where 20 innings were completed, both the St. Bonaventure and Saint Louis baseball teams experienced the highs and lows of Atlantic 10 action as each squad created rallies and saw leads evaporate in a doubleheader split with each game going 10 innings apiece.
After the Bonnies saw game one slip away, 10-9, they rallied for a 9-7 victory in extras after midnight in Eastern time Friday night in the Gateway to the West.
GAME 1: Saint Louis 10, St. Bonaventure 9 (F/10)
Friday's early game was a wild affair with the Billikens posting the final rally for a walk-off win.
The Bonnies grabbed an early lead with a run in the first on a sacrifice fly from David Marshall Jr. following singles by Chris Hoalcraft and Jayce Tharnish.
Bona's lead moved to 3-0 in the third as a passed ball and sac fly brought in two more tallies.
Saint Louis got a run back on a sac fly of their own in the fourth, but Conner Vercollone kept his power surge going with a team-best sixth home run to lead off the fifth.
The Billikens clawed back with a run in the sixth and tied up the contest following two in the seventh.
SBU created an opportunity to push back in front in the eighth as Harrison Kaufman and Antonio Cordeiro singled back-to-back to lead off the frame, moving up on a sac bunt from Paul Vossen. A strike out and fly out ended the threat, however, as the Billikens wiggled out of trouble.
SLU made the best of its opportunity in the home half of the inning when nine-hole hitter Austin Neuweg singled with a runner at second and one away to bring in the leading run.
In the ninth, Marshall knotted the score with a homer to left, forcing extra innings.
The Bonnies appeared to have the game on ice after a four-run 10th – Vercollone gave the visitors the lead with a single punched through the right side for two RBIs. Later in the inning, Hoalcraft singled home another and Marshall wrapped the scoring with a sac fly.
Unfortunately for the Bonnies, though, the Billikens took advantage of Bona bullpen wildness in the home half as two walks and a hit batter helped set the tone for a rally. Brenden Stressler's two-out single allowed the hosts to walk off winners with a five-run 10th.
Marshall posted a 4-for-4 line at the plate with three RBIs and Tharnish also collected four hits for the Bonnies.
David James (4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) was strong in a starting role, followed by Luke Roggenburk (4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K).
GAME 2: St. Bonaventure 9, Saint Louis 7 (F/10)
Bonaventure broke a 7-7 tie in the 10th inning with a run-scoring double from Tharnish, bringing home the eventual winning run to forge a doubleheader split.
After Vercollone led off the extra frame with a double, he moved to third on a sacrifice bunt.
Tharnish made his seventh hit of the day a memorable one as he drove a double into the right field corner for the leading run. He later crossed the plate on a wild pitch for insurance.
James Capellupo turned in an outstanding effort out of the bullpen, settling things down with 6.2 innings of scoreless work. The sophomore right-hander scattered four hits, walked two and struck out eight including the final batter of the game with the tying run at the plate.
St. Bonaventure (9-15, 2-6 A-10) saw an early lead disappear in the nightcap.
Brian Carrothers put the Bonnies on the board in the second with a run-scoring single and Vercollone later went yard again, this time a three-run bomb for a 4-0 advantage.
Neuwig, Max McGwire and Patrick Mendola all homered for the hosts between the third and fourth innings as the Billikens ran off seven unanswered runs to race ahead.
The Bonnies rallied in the middle innings.
Carrothers pulled the visitors within a run with his first collegiate home run, a no-doubt two-run bomb to left in the sixth.
One inning later, the Bonnies pulled even on a chopper up the middle from Tharnish to bring home Hoalcraft from second. Bona nearly took the lead back on a single to right from Robert Mannino, but Tharnish was tossed out at the plate on the play attempting to score from second.
In the eighth, Alex Hebenstreit doubled to lead off but was stranded. The Bonnies loaded the bases in the frame before Tharnish starched a ball past the pitcher that resulted in a force at second on a close play to end the threat.
Bona had another golden opportunity in the ninth by loading the bases with one out, but back-to-back flyouts retired the side before the Brown and White could pull through in extra innings.
Mendola drove in two runs for Saint Louis (14-12, 5-3).
The squads wrap the series with a rubber game Saturday at 3 p.m. Eastern.
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