By SPENCER BATES
BRONX — The St. Bonaventure baseball team had no shortage of offense in its series at Fordham, it was just unable to get the timely hits needed to turn losses into wins.
In the first game of the series, an 11-4 loss for the Bonnies, they wasted no time getting on the board, jumping out to 2-0 lead after the first inning, a positive margin they managed to maintain through three frames. However, it was in the middle and later innings that Fordham erupted on offense, scoring all 11 of its runs between the fourth and sixth innings.
In a flash, the Bona lead had evaporated.
Of the Bonnies’ 10 hits on the day, eight were recorded by leadoff hitter Jayce Tharnish (2-for-5, 2 runs), Chris Hoalcraft (3-for-5, run, two RBI) and Harrison Kaufman (3-for-4, run, RBI).
David James had a good start on the mound for Bona, keeping the Rams off the board, but was knocked out of the game after 4.1 innings as the hosts stepped on the gas. He finished with four strikeouts and zero walks while having given up eight hits and six runs as his record on the year moved to 0-6.
The second contest of the series was much more even across the board, the late heroics from the hosts making all the difference.
Bona managed to erase the Rams’ 4-1 lead with three runs between the sixth and seventh innings, but with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth, it was the latter that left the diamond with a win via walk-off.
Tharnish and David Marshall Jr. were the main sources of offense for the Bonnies in the second fixture of the series, connecting for four of the team’s seven hits. Tharnish went 2-for-4 with two runs, While Marshall went 2-for-5 with two RBI.
The third and final game of the series ended up being the only one in which the Bonnies out-hit their hosts, having lost the battle at the plate 12-10 and 12-7 in the first two games respectively.
Scoring four runs over the fourth and fifth innings, the Bonnies managed to erase the slim 1-0 lead Fordham notched in the second inning. But, much like in the first fixture between the sides, Fordham’s offense came to life late on, scoring two runs apiece in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to grab a lead it was able to carry over the finish line for the series sweep.
St. Bonaventure will have the chance to get back to winning ways on April 22 in a midweek affair at Canisius, the second game of a home-and-away series. The first game of which it won 13-6 at home on April 9.
