By Skye Tulio
Sports Editor
After playing nine games in 10 days in Port Charlotte, Fla., the baseball team finished its spring training campaign 3-6.
The Bonnies lost their first two games to South Dakota State (10-5, 12-7) before earning their first win against Mount St. Mary’s, 6-5.
“Just like most Bonaventure baseball teams I’ve coached over my 28 years here, it’s kind of hard to judge us the first two or three games because we haven’t been outside and we haven’t been on a field,” Head Coach Larry Sudbrook said.
The team split the next two games with Mount St. Mary’s, losing the fourth game and winning the fifth. In the last leg of their trip, the Bonnies only won one out of their final four games against Chicago State, 14-3. However, all three losses were by one run.
“The first few games for us are always a little bit of getting used to the ground balls and fly balls on real dirt and grass,” Sudbrook said. “Once we did that the last five games, I think we were the team we’re going to be the rest of the season.”
Senior second basemen and Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, Jason Radwan, said the team’s one-run losses came with minor mechanical mistakes.
“We just did a lot of little things wrong,” Radwan said. “And to win those kind of games you have to do all the little things right.”
Senior left fielder Eric Jutca said the Bonnies showed promise in Florida and are still figuring out roles.
“I think in a lot of the close games we either pitched well or hit well,” Jutca said. “A combination of getting the pitching and hitting in the games will come, but we definitely showed some good signs down there. We’re still trying to figure out the bullpen at this point and some of the lineup as well.”
In last Thursday’s game against Mount St. Mary’s, both Radwan and Jutca propelled the Bonnies to a win after posting career days at the plate and on the bases.
Radwan went 5-6 with a pair of doubles, hitting a fly out in the ninth inning to prevent him from going perfect on the day. He recorded a career-best five hits and increased his average to .542 with 13 hits in his first 24 at bats also extending his hitting streak to 19 straight games carrying over from last season. The Angola, N.Y. native also scored a run and had two RBIs.
Jutca scored a career-high five runs and hit 3-3 out of the leadoff spot, one short of tying his career best. The Washington, Pa. native also added two walks and drove home a run with a sacrifice fly.
“Those two guys (Jutca and Radwan) triggered the offense all week,” Sudbrook said. “They were on base and hitting the ball constantly. Both of them worked extremely hard in the weight room in the offseason, so it’s always nice as a coach when you see the guys who work very hard and it pays off. It showed immediately, as they really got off to great starts.”
Redshirt senior and MLB prospect Eddie Gray pitched well in his two outings for the Bonnies, finishing the trip with a 4.50 ERA.
“Eddie had two very good outings down there and didn’t get any help for it either,” Sudbrook said. “He left the South Dakota State game (Feb. 24) with a 6-3 lead and we didn’t hold it. He pitched very well against Air Force (March 1.), losing 4-3 in a game where he gave up three unearned runs with some errors.”
Redshirted junior Andrew Revello pitched for the first time in two years after suffering a season ending injury last season.
“In the first game of the year, Revello, who we think is going to be a very good pitcher for us, had a poor outing because he hadn’t pitched in so long,” Sudbrook said. “He did much better in his second outing against Mount St. Mary’s (Feb. 28).”
The Bonnies travel to Wilson, N.C., March 15-17 for a four-game series against Rider.
“I think we’re going to get stronger starts out of Revello and Eddie being back out there (Gray),” Jutca said. “We’re confident in our starting pitching going down there and we know our lineup can hit.
Radwan said the series will be a good test before the team starts Atlantic 10 play.
“It’ll almost be like an A-10 weekend right before our first home-game doubleheader against Niagara (March 19),” Radwan said.
