By Nick Konotopskyj
Sports Editor
The St. Bonaventure softball team has found the winning touch in the last week and a half of play. The Bonnies have won six of their last nine games.
Much of the team’s success this season starts and ends with senior leaders, shortstop Emily McDonough and second baseman Kelli Rohan. They are the only two players in the A10 conference who have a batting average of over .400 on the season.
Rohan went 7-for-7 from the plate in Tuesday’s doubleheader against Robert Morris University. She said she sees a big difference in how the team has played as of late compared to earlier in the season.
“I think we are finally settling in as a team, getting comfortable up at the plate and making plays behind our pitcher,” Rohan said. “We made some changes in the line-up, and I think everyone has stepped up. Now it’s time to stay confident, trust the process and win some more games.”
The Bonnies split a doubleheader on the road Tuesday against Robert Morris. St. Bonaventure won game one 6-4, but dropped the second game 4-2. The team’s latest game came Wednesday night at home against the Canisius Golden Griffins.
Before the game, Fr. Kyle Haden did the ceremonial ceremonial blessing of the new Joyce field. St. Bonaventure defeated Canisius 2-0 thanks in large part to a complete game pitching performance by senior Carli Bilchak. Rohan commented on how the Bonnies have been blessed to play on the new field and how it is an improvement on what they used to have.
“Playing on the field is great,” Rohan said. “We can work it to our advantage seeing that a lot of teams don’t have experience playing on a turf field.”
So far, the Bonnies are 3-6 at Joyce field on the season, but they have six more home games to turn that sub-500 record around.
St. Bonaventure has improved its record to 11-25 on the season and 4-8 in the A10 play. That is good for eighth out of 10 teams in the conference. Only six teams make the A10 tournament at the end of the regular season, and the Bonnies are currently a game and a half behind sixth place George Mason.
Whether the team makes the postseason remains to be seen, but for the seniors on the team, it is sad to realize that these will be their last few games, according to Rohan.
“I hate thinking about how many games I have left,” Rohan said. “It is definitely hard, but I just try to focus on what I can do now and enjoy every moment on the field. Playing with my teammates is something I never want to give up, but at least I know I made some lifetime friends.”
The team looks to improve its record in conference play when the Dayton Flyers come to town this weekend. Saturday’s doubleheader starts at noon with the final game of the three game series coming Sunday at noon.
konotonr12@bonaventure.edu
