By Pat Tintle
Sports Editor
The baseball team kept true to its up-and-down season as it split a doubleheader against Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Tuesday.
The Bonnies took game one by a score of 6-3. Junior pitcher Steve Klimek earned the win by going five innings and giving up three runs.
Klimek improved to a 3-5 record on the year.
Already ahead 4-2 going into the top of the fourth inning, the Bonnies added some insurance runs as junior third baseman Thad Johnson cranked a two-run home run over the left field fence to put his team up 6-2. Johnson stated that during his at bat, he was focused on putting the ball in play rather than hitting it over the fence.
“They gave me the hit and run,” Johnson said. “I was just trying to make solid contact, and the kid gave me a change-up inside. It was a good pitch, and I was able to put a good swing on it.”
The Bisons added one run in the bottom of the fifth but failed to make a comeback.
Bucknell struck first in game two of the doubleheader with back-to-back home runs in the first inning from senior outfielder Anthony Gingerelli and junior second baseman Joe Ogren. But the Bonnies fought back and tied the game in the top of the sixth inning as Johnson hit a two-run single to score junior outfielder Tom Styn and freshman shortstop Cole Peterson.
The game remained tied, and the two teams went into extra innings with a 3-3 score. However, senior first baseman Rob Krentzman sent the Bisons home with a walk-off win as he hit the game-winning single in the bottom of the tenth inning. The Bonnies now post a 14-15-2 record, as the Bisons are 20-21 on the season.
The Bonnies have hovered around the .500 mark for the past week. Coach Larry Sudbrook stated that in order to break the .500 plateau, the Bonnies’ offense needs to step up.
“The pitching’s been pretty darn good,” Sudbrook said. “That keeps us in games, but we’re just not scoring runs. (Tuesday) was a classic example. We won the first game because we got two big hits, and in the second—a 3-3 ballgame—our pitching shuts them out the fifth innings through the ninth. You can’t blame that (loss) on the pitching.”
Johnson reiterated Sudbrook’s point.
“(It will take) consistent hitting,” Johnson said. “Our pitching has been very consistent all year, and they’ve been keeping us in games. We’ve been up and down because of our offensive game.”
The Bonnies will look to wake up their bats this weekend as they host new Atlantic 10 rival Davidson at Fred Handler Park at the Marra Athletics Complex. The two teams will face off today at 3 p.m., Saturday at 12 p.m. and Sunday at noon. While the starting pitching for game three is yet to be decided, Sudbrook said that junior Conor Grey will start on Friday and freshman Brandon Schlim will take the mound on Saturday.
Having played on the road for the past week, the Bonnies are looking forward to returning to Fred Handler Park, according to Johnson.
“It’s nice to be home,” Johnson said. “We’ve been away the last couple weekends, and it’s fun playing here with the fans out there.”
