DAVIDSON, N.C. – A walk-off, 10th inning home run from Scotty Edwards capped off a huge rally by Davidson as the Wildcats took a 12-11 victory Sunday afternoon over the St. Bonaventure baseball team.
In Sunday's game, the Bonnies saw leads of 6-0 and 11-6 evaporate as 10 walks and six hit batters by Bona pitching provided too many free bases for Davidson.
Two outstanding Bonnies defensive plays helped keep the Wildcats off the board in the early going – first a diving catch to end the opening inning in left field by Joey Calabretti, followed by a standout double play turned at third base by Manuel Castro in the third.
Bona built a six-run lead through four and a half frames, getting into the scoring column by plating a run in the second on a wild pitch for the game's first tally. Five more runs came across in the fifth as Castro worked a bases loaded walk before Christian LaMothe hit a high chopper down the first base line that was thrown away by the Davidson catcher, allowing three runners to come home. Yet another run-scoring wild pitch plated LaMothe later in the inning for a 6-0 Bona advantage.
That six-run cushion would not last an entire inning, however, as Davidson scored six times on five hits to immediately tie the game after five frames.
The Bonnies answered back in the sixth by doing damage with two outs. Conner Vercollone dumped a two-out double down the right field line with the bases empty and later in the frame scored on a bases loaded walk dawn by Castro to re-take the lead, 7-6.
Home runs from Calabretti and Castro along with a run-scoring double by Chris Hoalcraft allowed the Bonnies to extend their edge to 11-6.
The Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth before Derek Duval coaxed a flyout from the Bonnies bullpen to put out the fire.
St. Bonaventure took a five-run advantage into the ninth, but Davidson scored five times with just one hit as things came apart for the Bonnies. With the winning run at third, James Capellupo recorded the final out to send the game to extra innings.
Calabretti drove a two-out double off the top of the wall in straightaway center in the 10th, but the ballpark held it as the ball ricocheted back into play and he would be stranded at second.
Edwards ended the drama with a leadoff homer in the home half of the 10th, just clearing the short 360-foot porch in right for the game-winning blast.
Calabretti, Hoalcraft and Vercollone all had two hits apiece for the Bonnies while Castro was aboard four times with three walks and a homer, credited with three RBIs.
UP NEXT
The Bonnies are scheduled to play at Le Moyne in non-conference action Tuesday at 3 p.m.
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