Courtesy of GoBonnies.com
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure junior Ryan MacCarrick drilled a fourth-inning grand slam and freshman Donovan Moffat picked up the final two outs of a pressure-packed ninth to lock down a Bonnies series victory, 7-5, over Rhode Island in the second game of Sunday’s twin bill. The Atlantic 10 rivals split the pair of games Sunday afternoon after the Rams took game one, 8-4.
St. Bonaventure (13-11, 7-5 Atlantic 10) took two of three from the defending A-10 champion and pre-season favorite Rams who now stand at 15-13, 6-2.
GAME ONE: Rhode Island 8, St. Bonaventure 4
The Bonnies were playing from behind from the start as the Rams put up three runs in the first. Martin Figueroa got the Rams on the board with a run-scoring single before Matt O’Neil delivered a two-run homer for a 3-0 advantage.
Bona got a run back in the first when Cole Peterson reached on an infield single and Taishi Terashima scored from second on a throwing error. The hosts got within a run following an RBI ground out from David Hollins in the second.
Rhode Island stretched its lead with two runs in the fourth and another in the sixth.
The Bonnies scored when Peterson and Baldinelli both doubled in the sixth, and loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh. A sac fly from Peterson was all the damage done, however, in the best threat to even the score.
Peterson went 3-for-4 to pace the offense for the Brown and White.
GAME TWO: St. Bonaventure 7, Rhode Island 5
A six-run fourth opened the door for the Bonnies to take control of the late game.
All of the damage came with two outs – after starters Casey Vincent and Vitaly Jangols both breezed through the first three innings and appeared to be locked in a pitchers’ duel, Jangols found trouble in the fourth.
A Rams fielding error halted what looked to be a 1-2-3 inning for Jangols. Hollins and Tommy LaCongo singled back-to-back before Terashima was hit by a pitch. After fouling away the first pitch from Jangols, MacCarrick drilled a grand slam to left for the game’s biggest blow and a 6-0 lead.
Rhode Island got two runs back in the fifth, but a T.J. Baker sacrifice fly in the seventh made it a 7-2 Bonnies lead heading for the ninth.
With starter Casey Vincent out of the game after a stellar performance, the Rams made a rally effort against the Bona bullpen in the ninth. Two runs crossed the plate before Moffat came on in relief with the bases loaded and one out. A ground out on the right side forced home another run, and the Bonnies intentionally walked O’Neil, who had homered twice in the series, to load the bases. Moffat coaxed a lazy fly ball to right off the bat of Mike Corin, however, to end the game with the tying run in scoring position.
Vincent (2-2) threw eight innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts for his second career win. Moffat got the final two outs for his second save.
LaCongo went 2-for-4 in the nightcap with an RBI and a run scored.
St. Bonaventure returns to action for mid-week play at Niagara on Tuesday with a doubleheader scheduled for 2 p.m.
GAME NOTES
- Vincent’s eight innings represent a career high.
- Vincent improved to 1-1 with a 3.81 in Atlantic 10 starts this year. A-10 opponents are hitting just .226 against him.
- MacCarrick’s grand slam was his first home run in a Bonnies uniform.
- Just four of the 20 base runners that Moffat has inherited this season have scored.
- St. Bonaventure earned its first series victory over Rhode Island since a 2006 three-game sweep at URI.
- Now with seven conference wins, the Bonnies have more Atlantic 10 victories than any team except VCU (8-1).
- Game one saw Peterson tally his 12th multi-hit day of the year and his fifth three-hit game. The junior shortstop is now hitting .350 on the season.
Leave a Reply