Photo: St. Bonaventure Athletics
BY KYLE MAIER, SPORTS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
The St. Bonaventure men’s baseball team dropped the rubber game against The Citadel Bulldogs this past Sunday at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park, losing 8-4 after allowing a five-run seventh inning.
In the 1st, the Bonnies bats continued to produce a day after scoring 22 runs.
Second baseman Kyle Caccamise, a redshirt senior, connected on a single to right field before stealing second. Catcher Jackson DeJohn, a graduate student, sent Caccamise home off a rip down the third base line for a single.
“I would have to attribute my success at the plate this weekend to the preparation we put in as a team during the fall and winter,” said Caccamise. “We have a very competitive environment during our practices, which has prepared us for the tough schedule we have to start the season.”
Junior first baseman Morgan Little added two more scores for the Bonnies, hitting a drive to center that brought DeJohn and graduate student third baseman Jack Putney home.
The Brown and White led 3-1 after two innings before a two-run blast from sophomore infielder Anthony Hausner tied the game for The Citadel.
In the fifth, redshirt senior outfielder Paul Vossen drew a walk and then stole second. Vossen took third on a wild pitch before Cassamise hit a sac fly to break the tie for the Bonnies, 4-3.
St. Bonaventure held its one-score lead until The Citadel’s bats got hot in the seventh.
Senior infielder Sawyer Reeves laced an RBI single down the right-field line to even the score.
Two at-bats later, graduate student catcher Travis Lott singled to right field, sending home Reeves to take the lead. The Citadel scored again the following plate appearance on a wild pitch.
Later in the inning, a Hausner ground-out delivered Lott home, and an RBI double by junior infielder Garret Dill grew the Bulldog’s lead to 8-4.
The rest of the game saw no runs scored, moving the Bonnies to 1-2 in the early season.
In his Bonnies debut, redshirt junior pitcher Tristan Ciampa started and threw for four strikeouts in 3.1 innings. Sophomore pitcher Noah Czajkowski pitched 3.1 innings in relief before pitcher Ryan O’Connell, a redshirt junior, closed the contest.
“I just wanna go out there and pound the strike zone and do everything I can to help the team win,” said Ciampa. “I think the biggest thing for us as a staff, including myself, is just throwing strikes, getting ahead in counts, and limiting the free bases.”
Caccamise finished his day with a hit, RBI, and run. Junior shortstop David Marshall Jr. produced two hits. DeJohn and Little both totaled a hit and a RBI.
Hausner racked up one hit, one run, and 4 RBIs for the Bulldogs.
“My expectation is for us to grow as the season goes on,” said St. Bonaventure head coach Jason Rathbun. “I think we have the talent to compete in the Atlantic 10 and want us playing our best baseball headed into conference play.”
The Bonnies return to action on Friday for the first of a three-game series against Louisville in Kentucky.
The games will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
maierkj22@bonaventure.edu
