By Gavin Lindahl
Assistant Sports Editor
After the Bonnies split their weekend series at home against Saint Louis University – the top team in the Atlantic 10 – the baseball team went on to split their doubleheader against Niagara University Wednesday.
The Bonnies dropped their first game against Saint Louis in a 3-2 contest that required extra innings. According to sophomore right-handed pitcher Drew Teller, the team’s anemic offense persisted, regardless of the solid pitching.
“Pitching was great for us in the first game. It was a battle between both team’s pitching staff,” Teller said. “We struggled a little offensively in the first game, but we made up for it defensively. We made a lot of tough plays and executed all our plays – that’s what made the game go into extras.”
However, the Bonnies handed Saint Louis its first conference loss with an 8-7 victory. According to Teller, the Bonnies’ offense and win was all about riding momentum.
“It’s been a tough year for us offensively, but we have done a really good job of feeding off of each other’s energy. So when a few guys got a couple hits, that got our bench going,” Teller said. “[Junior center-fielder] Tyler Bell led off the ninth with a single, and [redshirt junior outfielder] Brett Heath hit the ball just deep enough to allow Bell to tag up to score the winning run.
“It’s just a matter of passing the job onto the next guy, getting lucky enough to get some big hits and some well executed base running.”
The team’s doubleheader against Niagara was almost a mirror of its games against Saint Louis. The first game was a pitcher’s duel that saw the Bonnies lose in a tight 2-1 contest, according to Teller.
However like in the second game against Saint Louis, the Bonnies were able to open up the game on offense, posting 12 runs to beat Niagara by five.
Ten of the Bonnies’ 12 runs were scored in the third inning that got started off a home run by junior catcher Dylan Dunn.
Dunn and senior third-basemen Joel Rosencrance both posted three RBI’s. Teller started the game and pitched four innings, notching three walks and the Bonnies’ only three strikeouts of the game, earning his second win of the year.
Players like Dunn and Rosencrance are part of a group that, according to Teller, can lead the Bonnies’ to fixing their scoring woes.
“In our lineup, there are a few key hitters that I feel lead the pack. If we can get them going, our offense can put up eight or 12 runs,” Teller said. “It just comes down to how well our hitters are seeing the ball. Now that the weather is getting better, we are getting the chance to take more swings outside during practice, and it’s helping our hitters.”
Bona’s goes on the road to take on George Mason University for a three-game series this weekend. George Mason – who is currently third in the A-10 – has won three of its last five games, including two against A-10 opponent George Washington University.
“George Mason is a good team; they beat VCU a few weeks ago which is another team at the top of the A-10,” Teller said. “We know this will be another tough weekend for us, but it’s also a chance to put us back on the map in the conference with a couple solid wins.”
