By Mike DeSanto
Sports Editor
The St. Bonaventure University baseball team struggled to find the plate at times Tuesday afternoon, leading to a 5-4 loss in its home opener against the University at Buffalo Bulls.
The Bonnies (7-10) used nine pitchers over the course of the game, walking the Bulls (7-14) hitters seven times while only allowing two hits. The Bonnies mustered nine hits of their own on the day.
The scoring kicked off early for the Bulls, as they went up 4-0 after the first two innings. In the first, the inning opened with the bases being loaded with no outs on two walks and one batter hit by a pitch. Senior designated hitter Vinny Mallero then stepped to the plate and hit a sacrifice groundout to score a run.
The top of the second inning featured two quick strikeouts, though the ball got away on the second and the batter reached base. The Bulls then loaded the bases on another hit by a pitch and walk, setting up another sacrifice groundout, this one by senior third baseman Brian Dudek, to score a run. Redshirt junior shortstop Ben Haefner followed suit in the next at bat, striking the ball up the middle for a two-run single.
The Bulls added an additional run in the seventh, but the Bonnies nearly mounted a comeback in the bottom of the eighth.
Junior left fielder Ryan MacCarrick opened up the Bonnies half of the eighth with a double, followed by a single from junior shortstop Cole Peterson, putting runners on the corners. MacCarrick left the game in favor of a pinch runner, redshirt freshman Garrett Strom, and after Peterson stole second, junior third baseman David “Bubba” Hollins smacked a single to score Strom. Junior right fielder Dave Vaccaro kept the rally going with a two-run triple to clear the bases and bring the tying run to the plate with no outs. Vaccaro would score on a sacrifice fly by junior first baseman Aaron Phillips, but that is as far as the rally would get.
The Bulls escaped the eighth and set the Bonnies down in order in the ninth, securing the win.
Freshman Danny Madden started for the Bonnies, going one-third of an inning and giving up one run on no hits and three walks.
Redshirt junior Brent Cleland took the mound to start for the Bulls, throwing seven scoreless innings and allowing five hits, walking one and striking out seven.
The Bonnies will return to the field this weekend when they welcome the Dayton Flyers to McGraw-Jennings Field. The games will take place on Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday at noon and Sunday at noon.
desantmj13@bonaventure.edu
