ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – In a tale of two very different games Friday afternoon at Handler Park, the St. Bonaventure baseball team scored a pair of wins over visiting Rhode Island for a doubleheader sweep. The Bonnies took the first game, 7-4, and battled for a 15-13 win in a marathon game two.
David James threw a complete game, his second of the season, in the Bonnies' game one win which took just over two hours to play. The senior struck out six without allowing a walk.
Joey Calabretti led the Bonnies offense with home runs in each contest. The junior two-way player made an impact on both sides of the ball as at the plate he had a two-run shot in game one, and a grand slam in the second contest. After making a spectacular diving catch in left earlier in the contest, Calabretti also took the mound in game two, throwing two scoreless innings to close the game for the save after combining for seven RBIs at the plate.
Game 1 – St. Bonaventure 7, Rhode Island 4
Rhode Island enjoyed an early lead following the leadoff batter Scott Penney's home run to right on a 3-2 pitch to begin the contest.
St. Bonaventure quickly answered, tying the score when Manuel Castro drove a double to right-center, scoring Chris Hoalcraft.
Joey Calabretti made a bid to take the lead later in the frame, but a blast to right-center was tracked down by Rhode Island centerfielder Ryan Henschel who made a highlight reel catch to end the inning.
Calabretti got his revenge in the third when he broke the tie with a blast no one could catch for a two-run bomb, his team-high seventh of the year, and a 3-1 advantage through three frames.
Defending A-10 champion Rhode Island got a run back in the fourth when Ryan Thompson homered to right to get the visitors back within a tally.
The ball continued to sail out of Handler Park in the sixth when Antonio Cordeiro tattooed a laser out to left for solo shot.
Alex Hebenstreit gave the Bonnies some insurance that turned out to be handy later on as he drilled a three-run homer far beyond the fence in left for a 7-2 lead after eight.
In the ninth, those runs were important as back-to-back round-trippers from Jack Hopko and Thompson gave the Rams some life.
David James closed the door, however, finishing off his second complete game in as many home starts this season. The senior right-hander allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out six without a walk.
Game 2 – St. Bonaventure 15, Rhode Island 13
St. Bonaventure got off to a quick start in the first inning of game two.
At the top of the order, Anthony Fernandez walked and Hoalcraft singled into shallow right to put runners on the corners. After Hoalcraft stole second, Castro belted a single through the right side to bring both runners home and make it a 2-0 ballgame.Â
However, the Bonnies lead was short-lived.
Rhode Island totaled five hits in the second, bringing in four runs. The Rams continued their hot streak an inning later, tacking on two runs to make it a 6-2 ballgame.
In the bottom of the third, St. Bonaventure powered back into the game.
A five-run inning for the Bonnies offense was capped by Fernandez, who launched a monster three-run homer over 400 feet to give the Bonnies a 7-6 lead.
Rhode Island (15-22, 9-8 A-10) put up four runs in the top of the fifth inning, aided by a pair of fielding errors from the Bonnies' defense.
The back-and-forth continued in the bottom of the fifth. Joey Bruno and Fernandez picked up hits early in the inning, and Hoalcraft brought in one run on an RBI groundout. After a pitching change and back-to-back walks, Calabretti launched his second home run of the day, this a two-out grand slam, to give the Bonnies a 12-10 lead.
The Rams offense clawed back into the game in the next two innings. Rhody picked up one run in the sixth, and another two in the seventh to take a 13-12 edge.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Bonnies moved ahead for good.
Bona (11-24, 5-12) showed discipline at the plate in the inning, drawing four walks and two hit by pitches. Without recording a hit, the Bonnies scored three runs to tie and then take the lead back against the Rhody bullpen.
In the final two innings, the Bonnies defense shut down the Rams. Calabretti took the mound to throw two scoreless innings, leading St. Bonaventure to the sweep. Gavin Constantine entered the game as a defensive replacement in left field for the first time this season in the eighth and cut down a run at the plate on a perfect throw home, ending a Rhody rally effort.
James Capellupo earned his first win on the hill with 2.1 innings of work.
Next Up
St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island will wrap up their series on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
------
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on X @GoBonnies and get baseball updates @BonniesBASE. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies. Bonnies Baseball can be found on Instagram @BonniesBaseball.
