Courtesy of GoBonnies.com
PHILADELPHIA – Ryan MacCarrick homered twice and Aaron Phillips struck out 13 batters to key an 8-4 win for the St. Bonaventure baseball team Friday afternoon in an Atlantic 10 series opener at La Salle.
Included in MacCarrick’s two home runs was a fourth inning grand slam to break the game wide open and help St. Bonaventure improve to 20-15 overall and 10-6 in Atlantic 10 play.
Phillips’ 13 strikeouts were easily a career high and the most for a St. Bonaventure player this season. His previous best was nine strikeouts in a game last Friday at George Mason.
Bonaventure pulled ahead early with a run in each of the first three innings. David Vaccaroput the Bonnies on the board with a first inning RBI single that scored Cole Peterson after he had tripled with two outs.
In the second, a fielder’s choice from Tommy LaCongo plated the second run. Then, in the third, MacCarrick blasted his first home run of the day on a full count pitch to lead off the inning.
The 3-0 score remained until the Bonnies seized complete control in the fourth.
Phillips walked and Jared Baldinelli reached on a bunt single before Taishi Terashima was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That sent MacCarrick to the plate where the junior went deep again, smacking his second grand slam of the year for a seven-run Bona advantage.
That offense was enough for Phillips who continued his dominance in Atlantic 10 play. The junior struck out at least one batter in seven of his eight innings of work and multiple batters in five innings. La Salle hit a pair of homers in the fifth for their offense.
An RBI single from Terashima gave the Bonnies a run of insurance in the eighth before La Salle threatened in the ninth. The Explorers pushed a run home and loaded the bases before Donovan Moffat was called upon out of the bullpen. The Bona freshman picked up a foul pop out to the catcher and a strike out to end the game.
Bona finished with 10 hits on the day – along with MacCarrick’s two homers and five RBIs, Peterson tripled twice and went 3-for-5. David Vaccaro also delivered two hits, also stealing two bases.
The two teams renew acquaintances Saturday at 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES
- Phillips has struck out seven or more batters in each of his last four Atlantic 10 starts and now has a 2.53 ERA on the season against A-10 opposition.
- The 13 strikeouts were the most for a Bonaventure player since Connor Grey had 15 vs. Saint Joseph’s last season.
- Peterson recorded his seventh three-hit game of the year.
- Moffat picked up his fourth save of the season, retiring the only two batters he faced.
- MacCarrick’s five RBIs are his most in a Bona uniform.
- The Bonnies have back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since winning 20 or more games each season from 2011-2013.
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