April 6, 2013

Box Score

MERION STATION, Pa. - Junior righthander Jordan Carter allowed just one earned run in eight innings, but the Saint Joseph's baseball team could not hold off a late rally by St. Bonaventure, falling to the Bonnies, 6-5, on Saturday afternoon at Smithson Field.

Carter allowed that solitary earned run in the first inning as St. Bonaventure (8-13) took an early lead. Joel Rosencrance led off the game with a walk and advanced to third on a single by Jason Radwan. Austin Ingraham followed with a double play grounder that scored Rosencrance and gave SBU a 1-0 lead.

Saint Joseph's (14-16) went ahead in the bottom of the second as Quinn Renner ripped a two-out double to left center to score Chris Hueth and Greg Kumpel and give the Hawks a 2-1 edge.

The Hawks struck again in the third as Brian O'Keefe hit a two-out single and came in to score on a triple by Hueth.

Carter retired eight in row at one point during the middle innings to keep SJU ahead, but the Bonnies finally broke through in the eighth. With one out and runners on first and second, a fielding error allowed Radwan to reach and scored Justin Brozick to cut the margin to one. Two batters later, Billy Urban hit a two-run double to left center to give the Bonnies a 4-3 lead.

With one out in the bottom half of the inning, O'Keefe hit a ground-rule double and Hueth was hit by a pitch to put two on. Kumpel hit a fielder's choice, but Hueth's slide broke up the double play attempt. That proved critical as Anthony Cirillo took a 3-2 pitch from Urban into right field for a double that scored O'Keefe and Kumpel and put the Hawks back on top, 5-4.

St. Bonaventure got both runs back in the top half of the ninth, scoring on three singles and a pair of walks to take a one-run lead.

The Hawks had a chance in the bottom of the ninth, putting runners on second and third with one out, but Hueth's line drive was snared by shortstop Thad Johnson to end the ballgame.

Urban earned the win, allowing one hit and three walks in an inning and two-thirds of relief. Jimmy Yacabonis took the loss after giving up a pair of runs on three hits and two walks.

Carter finished with four runs allowed, one earned, on seven hits in eight innings. He also walked a batter and struck out three. Asa Johnson was charged with five runs on nine hits in seven and a third for the Bonnies.

The teams will wrap up the series on Sunday at noon. The games between the two members of the Atlantic 10 do not count toward the conference standings, as both teams are on their scheduled bye weeks from league play.