The Panthers scored early, bringing a run across in the top of the first and third to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Aidan DeFazio (2-for-3) and Dylan Chudy (2-for-3) were responsible for a run apiece.

The Cardinals cut the lead in half with a run in the fifth and threatened to play spoiler with two on base in the bottom of the seventh, the game tying run just 90 feet away.

However, it was Chudy who slammed the door shut on a possible comeback, gunning down a runner looking to steal second base.

“Ty Kosinski took command today, delivering a complete game on the mound,” Portville head coach Joe Pleakis said. “This was a great team win for us. Chudy remains a solid leader on the team for us in every aspect, DeFazio also stayed hot at the plate. Fun win for the boys in a big league matchup, and great to see them play as a complete team to take the win wire-to-wire.”

AT RANDOLPH

Portville 101 000 0 R:2 H:7 E:1

Randolph 000 010 0 R:1 H:6 E:0

Port: Kosinski (4 SO, 7 BB) and Chudy

Rand: Taylor (12 SO, 1 BB) and Nottingham

Olean 14, Dunkirk 2

DUNKIRK, NY — The Olean baseball team rolled past Dunkirk on the road behind a red-hot offense.

The Huskies scored 14 runs on 13 hits, the most of which came from the bat of Ethan Woodring, who led the team with a 3-for-4, four run performance.

Caine DeGolier (2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI), Landon Johnson (2-for-5, 2 runs, 3 RBI) and Tyler Sullivan (2-for-3, run, 2 RBI) each had multiple hits in the win as well.

AT DUNKIRK

Olean 115 003 4 R:14 H:13 E:0

Dunkirk 000 101 0 R:2 H:3 E:4

OL: Cartmill (7 SO, 3 BB), Teachman (2 SO, 0 BB) and DeGolier

Dunk: Lemanski (4 SO, 2 BB), Bache (0 SO, 1 BB), Kinney (1 SO, 4 BB) and Ott

HS SOFTBALL

Otto-Eldred 11, Kane 10

KANE, PA — WIth three runs in the top of the seventh, the Otto-Eldred softball team swiped a high-scoring victory over Kane.

The Terrors scored in all but one inning, which ended up being just enough to overcome the combined nine runs the Wolves scored in the fourth and sixth.

Helaina Unverdorben led the Terrors in hits, going 4-for-5 with two runs. Jahden Smith added a three-hit, two-RBI performance as well.

Grace Rositzke (1-for-4, run) and Payton Kaziska (2-for-5) each had three RBI in the win.

AT KANE

Otto-Eldred 201 221 3 R:11 H:14 E:3

Kane 100 603 0 R:10 H:13 E:1

O-E: Francis (11 SO, 2 BB) and Rounsville

Olean 17, Jamestown 1 (5 innings)

OLEAN, NY — Highlighted by an eight-run third inning, the Olean softball team ran away with a lopsided win over Jamestown.

Anna Bates led the Huskies, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Allison Anastasia (2-for-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI) and Ari Finch (2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI) had multiple hits in the win as well.

AT OLEAN

Olean 308 24X X R:17 H:14 E:1

Jamestown 100 00X X R:1 H:1 E:9

OL: Maine (2 SO, 4 BB), Jones (2 SO, 2 BB) and Bates

JT: Maggio (0 SO, 2 BB) and Hughes

HS GOLF

Olean 32.5, Southwestern 22.5

OLEAN, NY — A pair of 46s carded by Cam Bartman and Finn Caya led the Olean boys golf team past Southwestern at Bartlett Country Club.

Southwestern’s Ejuah Sarvaiya had the low score on the day with 45.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

La Salle 11, St. Bonaventure 9 (Game 1)

La Salle 18, St. Bonaventure 9 (Game 2)

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The St. Bonaventure baseball team dropped both games of a double header against La Salle on May 8.

There was no shortage of hits in the first two games of the three game series with the Bonnies and Explorers combining for 62 on the day. 

The first game of the day was a walk off win for La Salle, which scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to steal the result. Joey Calabretti led Bona with a 3-for-5, two-run, two-RBI performance.

In the second game, Bona got at least one hit from all but one player and got at least two from all but three. At the top of the lineup, Anthony Fernandez and Chris Hoalcraft each connected for three hits. Fernandez scored two runs and batted in three in the loss as well.

THURSDAY

TRACK AND FIELD

Allegany-Limestone 89, Cattaraugus-Little Valley 52

CATTARAUGUS, NY — The Allegany-Limestone track and field team picked up a big win at Cattaraugus-Little Valley, winning all but five events on the day.

Aliyah Conner and Elexa Duggan were multi-event winners at the meet for the Gators. Conner won the 100m (13.9), the 200m (28.7) and was part of the winning 400m relay team. Elexa Duggan claimed first in the 1,500m (5:41.6), 3,000m (12:47.4) and led the winning 3,200m relay quartet.

Tasse was named to the All-Conference Second Team following a season in which he set a new program record in caused turnovers with 30. He ranked 11th nationally in caused turnovers per game.

Shanahan was selected to the All-Academic Team. 

His 25 goals and eight assists for 33 total points was good for second on the team. He was 10th among all A10 players in total goals.

Piper, following her 60-goal season that ranked second of all players in the A10 and ninth in all of Div. I, was named the conference Midfielder of the Year. Her goal tally was the third highest in a single season in program history. She also tallied 61 draw controls, the sixth-most in a single-season in program history. Piper also set the new single-game program record in both points (11) and goals (9).

She is the first Bona player to ever receive the award.

Colanagelo led the A10 and ranked 20th in all of Div. I with 40 caused turnovers. For that effort she was named the conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Colangelo has been selected for an A10 postseason award in every season of her career, making the All-Rookie Team in 2023, the All-Conference Second Team in 2024 and the All-Conference First Team in 2025.

She is the first Bona player to receive the award since Eboni Preston did so in 2008.

Other Bona players to receive postseason awards included Megan Schillinger, who was named to the A10 All-Conference Second Team, and Gracie Williams, Riley Milligan and Brooke Owens, who were all named to the A10 All-Rookie Team.

The three All-Rookie team selections is the most in program history.

After collecting a lone run in the initial inning, the Gators then returned to the plate in the bottom of the second with force. Loading the bases in their first three batters, the next four would all drive in runs. Brennan Fillhart scored three with a line drive single, followed by RBI-doubles from Kellen Veilleux and Nick Wilfong and a sacrifice fly from Chase Boyd. Running up a 6-0 lead, Port then doubled down with four more in the third, all but ending the game while they held the Red Raiders fully at bay. 

Wilfong ended the day 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two more batted in, while Veilleux came away with a pair of hits in four trips to the batters’ box, scoring twice alongside an RBI. Gavin Moses ended 3-for-3, followed by a combined five hits from Fillhart, Liam Hawver, Garrin Wright and Lane Gay. 

AT PORT ALLEGANY

Cameron County 000 00 R:0 H:1 E:4

Port Allegany 164 1X R:12 H:13 E:1

Cameron County: Trumpie (0 SO, 2 BB), Z. Pearson (3) (1 SO, 1 BB), Palumbo (4) (0 SO, 0 BB) and Z. Pearson, Ramsey

Port Allegany : Petruzzi (2 SO, 2 BB), Boyd (5) (3 SO, 0 BB) and Boyd, Gay

Northern Potter 8, Otto-Eldred 6

ELDRED, PA – Despite a late push in the bottom of the seventh, the Terrors were unable to overcome their mid-game deficit, dropping their tenth loss of the season at the hands of NoPo. 

Ryan Schenfield finished with a team-high three RBIs during his 1-for-2 day at the plate, also scoring once, while Wyatt Blendinger, Michael Sheeler, Macaibe Splain and Shane Magee combined for four runs scored and one RBI. 

AT ELDRED

Northern Potter 100 520 0 R:8 H:6 E:2

Otto-Eldred 202 000 2 R:6 H:3 E:9

Northern Potter: Schenfield (3 SO, 6 BB), Sherry (3) (0 SO, 3 BB), VanCamp (4) (2 SO, 2 BB), Collins (6) (1 SO, 0 BB) and Splain

Otto-Eldred: Snyder (3 SO, 4 BB), Elmadollar (6) (4 SO, 2 BB) and Bieser

Coudersport 14, Smethport 0, 5 innings

Coudersport 11, Smethport 1, 5 innings

SMETHPORT, PA – Hosting the Falcons for a double-feature, the Hubbers were unable to find their stride, dropping both games of the day as they fell to 6-5.

In Game One, Smethport struggled with Coudy’s man on the mound, Lawon Wetzel, who tallied a no-hitter to go with his 15 strikeouts. 

In Game Two, the Hubbers managed to break through, albeit, recording just two hits and one run scored. Zach Hungiville brought in the Hubbers lone run of the day, ending 1-for-3 and scoring Wyatt Hungiville.

AT SMETHPORT

Coudersport 421 61 R:14 H:12 E:1

Smethport 000 00 R:0 H:0 E:2

Coudersport: Wetzel (15 SO, 1 BB) and McClintock

Smethport: Riekofsky (2 SO, 3 BB), Hungiville (2) (1 SO, 1 BB), Tanner (3) (0 SO, 1 BB), Holmberg (4) (1 SO, 2 BB) and Young

AT SMETHPORT

Coudersport 046 10 R:1 H:2 E:2

Smethport 000 01 R:11 H:8 E:4

Coudersport: Wahler (7 SO, 3 BB) and McClintock

Smethport: Hungiville (2 SO, 4 BB), Tanner (3) (3 SO, 3 BB) and Young

HS SOFTBALL

St. Marys 17, Bradford 0, 3 innings

BRADFORD, PA – Seeing the Lady Dutch for the second time this season, the Lady Owls failed to find revenge, ultimately suffering their tenth loss via three-inning blowout. 

Daisy Greene recorded Bradford’s lone hit of the day, going 1-for-1. 

AT BRADFORD

St. Marys 4(12)1 R:17 H:13 E:0

Bradford 000 R:0 H:1 E:5

St. Marys: Hansolvan (5 SO, 0 BB) and Eckels

Bradford: Greene (0 SO, 1 BB), Zandy (2) (1 SO, 1 BB) and Kicior

Salamanca 13, Dunkirk 1 (5 innings)

SALAMANCA, NY – The Salamanca softball team used a seven-run first inning to catapult itself to five-inning lopsided victory over Dunkirk.

The Warriors combined for 12 hits on the night with Charli Ross (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Delaney Haley (3-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI) and Mae Bacelli (2-for-3, RBI) all having multi-hit games.

Ross also only allowed two hits from inside the circle as well.

AT SALAMANCA

Dunkirk 100 00X X R:1 H:2 E:3

Salamanca 703 03X X R:13 H:12 E:1

Dunkirk: Grann (0 SO, 3 BB)

Salamanca: Ross (2 SO, 0 BB)

Coudersport 25, Smethport 8, 4 innings

Coudersport 20, Smethport 10, 6 innings

COUDERSPORT, PA – Traveling for a two-for-one special against Coudy, the Lady Hubbers failed to make a dent, instead being swept for their eighth and ninth loss of the season.

In the first showing, an early slug fest turned ugly as Smethport continued to suffer self-inflicted wounds late. Cassidy Szuba ended 2-for-3 in that game with two runs scored while Coral Tronetti and Faith Benjamin both ended 1-for-2 with one run scored and two more batted in. 

While they would extend the second game to six innings, the ultimate result came out the same. Payten Lenze ended with two hits in four trips to the plate during game No. 2, scoring once to go with her two RBIs, while Szuba ended 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. 

AT COUDERSPORT

Smethport 675 7 R:25 H:14 E:1

Coudersport 521 0 R:8 H:8 E:12

Smethport: Miller (2 SO, 5 BB), Benjamin (4) (2 SO, 1 BB) and Tronetti

Coudersport: Lagrua (5 SO, 2 BB) and Billings

AT COUDERSPORT

Smethport 403 120 R:10 H:8 E:13

Coudersport 286 121 R:20 H:12 E:9

Smethport: Benjamin (1 SO, 6 BB), Miller (2) (3 SO, 5 BB) and Tronetti

Coudersport: Lagrua (6 SO, 1 BB) and Billings

COLLEGE BASEBALL

Niagara 7, St. Bonaventure 6

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY – After conceding five runs in the eighth inning, the St. Bonaventure baseball team fell to Niagara.

The Bonnies rallied in the bottom of the ninth, scoring twice to shave the deficit it faced to just one run. But the Purple Eagles staved off the comeback, and thus the Bonnies dropped their fourth contest in a row.

Anthony Fernandez (2-for-5, 2 runs), Christian LaMothe (3-for-5, RBI), Ashton Ross (2-for-4, run, RBI) and Joey Bruno (2-for-4) all had multiple hits for Bona in the loss.

batesoleanstar@gmail.com

ST. BONAVENTURE —The St. Bonaventure baseball team had been defending its home field ferociously.

It had picked up its first series win of the season and had seemingly cured the defensive woes that had condemned the team throughout the early portion of the season.

The Bonnies were 7-1 at home since renovations were completed on Fred Handler Park.

That was until Dayton came to town.

The Bonnies and the Flyers, each carrying 6-12 records in Atlantic 10 play into their series matchup, are both trying to find a way into the top six in the conference before the season comes to a close.

Unfortunately for the former, that path became all the more difficult after suffering a series sweep that was capped by a 7-6 loss in game three.

The Flyers boast the best batting average of any team in the Atlantic 10 (.301). They put that offensive firepower on display against the Bonnies, connecting for double-digit hits in each game of the series — one game of which was a seven-inning affair in a double header.

However, according to Bona head coach Jason Rathbun, the high hit tally of the Flyers was not due to any miscues from the pitching staff. Instead, he chalked it up to a spotty defense and an offense that was unable to keep pace with its counterparts. 

“I don’t think the pitching staff did a bad job this weekend,” Rathbun said. “I don’t think we played very good defense and we certainly didn’t hit it all. I think when you have a team that’s coming in that’s hot with the bats and one of the best hitting teams in the conference, you got to come out and swing the bats as well. I didn’t think we did a very good job of that. Yeah, just disappointed in our offense this weekend.”

St. Bonaventure’s Paulino Enger (23) winds up a pitch against Dayton. Enger struck out five batters in five innings for the Bonnies. (Spencer Bates)

The Bonnies had a combined 19 hits this weekend, which paled in comparison to the 32 that the Flyers put on the board. Granted a majority of that differential came from the quiet offensive performance in the second game of the series, in which Bona was out-hit 11-2.

In the first and third game of the series, Bona held its own in terms of keeping up with its opposition’s hit tally.

Where the difference lies is when the Bonnies got their hits. 

“(We weren’t) stringing together hits,” Rathbun said. “I think on Friday, we had two hits through the first six innings. I think today we had one hit through the first six innings. We did a little bit better scoring, and getting some hits on the board, but it just wasn’t enough. Just not enough on the weekend.”

Following the team’s previous series, a sweep in its favor over defending champions Rhode Island at home, Rathbun liked where his team was at and noted he could see them, with the momentum they had, finding a way into the top six of the conference standings before season’s end, and thus getting a berth into the A10 tournament.

St. Bonaventure’s Antonio Cordeiro (7) swings at a pitch against Dayton. Cordeiro went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Bonnies (Spencer Bates)

But this series against Dayton was a critical step in seeing those aspirations become reality.

Now, the Bonnies are well and truly on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. With three series left to go, only one of which being at home, Rathbun is now casting out all thoughts of a postseason bid. Instead, opting to fixate on the day-to-day.

“I think we just got to finish the season strong,” Rathbun said. “I don’t think the playoffs is necessarily something that we should be thinking about right now. I think this weekend was a big weekend for that to kind of put things into perspective a little bit. Being tied with Dayton and kind of in that mix, we needed to do our job this weekend and, unfortunately, we just didn’t do it. We didn’t put ourselves in a very good position. So, the playoffs and postseasons are something that I don’t think we should really be worrying about right now. Just trying to get better, day-to-day and finish the season strong.”

St. Bonaventure’s next game will be a mid-week fixture at home against Niagara on April 28 at 3 p.m.

The appointments of Akbar Waheed, Clive Bentick and Nick Fruscio as assistant coaches were all made officially by the program on April 22.

Waheed, Bentick and Fruscio were all names that had been long associated with the job since  Mike MacDonald’s hire, it was just a matter of working things out contractually before they could be officially unveiled.

It was also announced that Nick MacDonald, Mike MacDonald’s son, will join the program as a video coordinator and player development specialist.

“We are very excited about the coaching staff we have put together,” Mike MacDonald said in a statement. “We have a mix of veteran coaches and young coaches. We have coaches with NBA experience and high-major Division I experience. Most importantly, we have assembled a staff who love basketball, love teaching and are great role models for the young men on our team.”

Waheed brings with him 25 years worth of experience as a coach and a scout. He comes to the Bonnies after having spent the last three years as a scout for the Brooklyn Nets. He was also a scout for the Oklahoma City Thunder for one season.

In terms of collegiate experience, Waheed worked as an assistant coach in Patrick Ewing’s staff at Georgetown from 2016 to 2022. He was also the lead assistant at Hofstra (2015-16), Boston College (2010-14) and Niagara (2000-10).

Bentick also brings with him over 20 years of experience at the Division I level. Most recently, he was on the staff at Monmouth, where he had been since 2022. Prior to his time with the Hawks, he was an assistant coach at St. Francis Brooklyn for 15 seasons.

In 2021, Stadium listed Bentick as one of the top Division I assistant coaches in the nation.

Fruscio spent the last two years as an assistant coach at Daemen University and followed Mike MacDonald to St. Bonaventure. In those two years, the Wildcats compiled a 61-3 record. 

Fruscio was an assistant at Canisius High School (2023-24) and Northwest Florida State (2022-23). He began his career as a graduate assistant at East Carolina from 2020 to 2022.

Nick MacDonald was a graduate assistant at Cincinnati last season. Prior to his time with the Bearcats, he was an assistant coach at Buffalo State for a year. He played collegiate basketball for five years, the last three of which were spent with his father at Daemen.

Seven Panthers tallied hits during the win, with five recording multiple runs batted in. Payton Carter finished 1-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBIs, followed by Aidan DeFazio with 1-for-3 with two runs and a pair of RBIs as well. Dylan Chudy, Ty Kosinski, and Jo Dieteman all combined for six RBIs and two runs scored as Portville picked up their third win of the season. 

AT CATTARAUGUS

Portville 436 10 R:14 H:7 E:1

Cattaraugus-Little Valley 301 00 R:4 H:5 E:9

Portville: Adams (4 SO, 4 BB), Carter (4) (5 SO, 1 BB) and Chudy

Cattaraugus-Little Valley: Aguiar (0 SO, 4 BB), Ulinger (3) (4 SO, 3 BB) and Crawford

Smethport 16, Northern Potter 5, 5 innings

SMETHPORT, PA – Continuing their hot streak, the Hubbers added a fourth win in the past five games as they dominated NoPo in five innings. 

Cole Burdick finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate during the win, powering in five RBIs and scoring twice personally. Aiden Tanner ended 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two more batted in, while Mason Swanson tallied three RBIs and one run during his 2-for-2 day in the batters’ box. 

AT SMETHPORT

Northern Potter 401 00 R:5 H:4 E:5

Smethport 542 5X R:16 H:11 E:4

Northern Potter: W. Nicholas (2 SO, 1 BB), Elmadollar (1) (2 SO, 4 BB), H. Nicholas (4) (0 SO, 0 BB) and Houghtaling

Smethport: Tanner (6 SO, 1 BB), Riekofsky (3) (5 SO, 0 BB), Hungiville (5) (2 SO, 0 BB) and Cooney

Fredonia 13, Salamanca 3 (6 innings)

FREDONIA, NY – After conceding eight runs in the second inning, the Salamanca baseball team fell to Fredonia in six innings.

Payton Bradley had the only multi-hit game for the Warriors, going 2-for-3 and scoring a run. 

AT FREDONIA

Salamanca 000 210 X R:3 H:5 E:4

Fredonia 082 102 X R:13 H:12 E:0

Salamanca: McCormick (1 SO, 4 BB), Stahlman (4 SO, 2 BB) and Bradley

Fredonia: Luce (1 SO, 2 BB), Piazza (3 SO, 2 BB) and Frame

Silver Creek 13, Allegany-Limestone 1 (5 innings)

SILVER CREEK, NY – Allegany-Limestone fell to Silver Creek by a lopsided margin on the road.

HS SOFTBALL

Port Allegany 7, Otto-Eldred 3

DUKE CENTER, PA – A duel in the circle fell the Lady Gators way as they were able to break through O-E’s defense, earning their fifth win of the season and the series sweep over the Lady Terrors. 

Bria Wilcox and Baylee Francis, Port’s and O-E’s respective aces, duked it out through seven full innings in a North Tier League rematch, each recording double-digit Ks as they siphoned off their opponents. However, a late three-run surge in the fifth, which saw a triple from Breah Fillhart, a double from Kendra Ayers and singles from Brynn Evens and Payton Gordon, allowed the Lady Gators to ultimately pull away for good. 

Fillhart ended with a team-high three hits and three runs for Port, while Ayers finished with a game-high three RBIs during her 2-for-4 day at the plate. Wilcox ended with 10 strikeouts while in the circle, letting up just three hits through seven innings. 

For O-E, Jahden Smith ended 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Francis came away with one run scored and one RBI. During her time in the circle, Francis also tallied ten Ks while giving up eight hits. 

AT DUKE CENTER

Port Allegany 101 131 0 R:7 H:8 E:1

Otto-Eldred 100 101 0 R:3 H:3 E:5

Port Allegany: Wilcox (10 SO, 5 BB) and Errick

Otto-Eldred: Francis (10 SO, 2 BB) and Rounsville

Portville 6, Fillmore 4

FILLMORE, NY – Ten strikeouts and four RBIs from Ella Warters led the Panthers to fourth consecutive win as they dispatched Fillmore on the road. 

Dominating through her time in the circle with double-digit Ks, Warters also ended with a team-high four RBIs during her 1-for-3 day at the plate. The Schoonover sisters, Alexa and Sienna, both ended with two hits a-piece, with Sienna nabbing two RBIs. 

AT FILLMORE

Portville 300 201 0 R:6 H:7 E:1

Fillmore 002 011 0 R:4 H:8 E:1

Portville: Warters (10 SO, 1 BB) and Lyle

Fillmore: Miller (10 SO, 10 BB) and Ross

Northern Potter 15, Smethport 0, 3 innings

SMETHPORT, PA – Finding themselves on the wrong side of a no hitter, the Lady Hubbers suffered their fifth loss of the season. 

AT SMETHPORT

Northern Potter 267 R:15 H:9 E:1

Smethport 000 R:0 H:0 E:1

Northern Potter: Willammee (7 SO, 0 BB) and Steele

Smethport: Miller (0 SO, 2 BB), Smith (3) (1 SO, 3 BB), Benjamin (3) (1 SO, 1 BB) and Tronetti

GIRLS LACROSSE

Salamanca 9, East Aurora 5

EAST AURORA, NY – The Salamanca girls lacrosse team captured a win over East Aurora on the road behind a 17-save performance from Liana Jimerson.

Jorja Miller caused 10 turnovers for the Warriors and on attack Leilene McComber led the way with three goals and two assists, followed by Keira Bova with three goals and one assist.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

St. Bonaventure 7, Le Moyne 1 (Game 1)

St.  Bonaventure 10, Le Moyne 7 (Game 2 – 8 innings)

SYRACUSE, NY – The St. Bonaventure softball team captured a double-header sweep over Le Moyne, snapping a seven-game losing streak.

In game one, the Bonnies held a 2-1 lead late in the game, but tacked on five runs in the top of the seventh to solidify the win. Leading the offense was Kymora Wang, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI, and Sydney DeGram, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.

In game two, the Bonnies once again scored five runs in the final inning of play to pick up the win, bouncing back after the Dolphins took a 5-0 lead after the first. Bona tallied 13 hits in the win.

Sydney DeGram (3-for-5, 2 runs), Lauren Dundon (3-for-4, run 3 RBI), Abigail Ahern (2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI), Kymora Wang (2-for-5, 2 runs, 3 RBI) and Nolah Moyer (2-for-5) all had multi-hit performances.

Piper tallied 11 points from nine goals and two assists against the Explorers, etching her name into the Bona history books.

The single-game points record had previously been 10, held by Destinee Johnson (2019), Brenna Houghton (2008) and Katelyn Faas (2006). The previous record for goals in a game was held by Piper after she scored eight against VCU last season.

The nine goals are the most in a single game by any Atlantic 10 player since 2023 and tie the most by any Division I player this season.

Piper’s teammate Gracie Williams also had a strong showing at La Salle, setting a personal single-game record with five goals.

Goalkeeper Judy Mahoney made six saves for the Bonnies.

MEN’S LACROSSE

Delaware 19, St. Bonaventure 16

NEWARK, DE — In a 35-goal thriller on April 18, the Bonnies fell just short of capturing their first Atlantic 10 win of the season at Delaware.

Jaxon Dillon led the Bonnies with six goals on nine shots on target, an effort that led to him receiving the Atlantic 10 Men’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week award. 

Other Bona goal scorers included Patrick Shanahan, who netted a hat trick of goals and assists, Blake Maracle and Chris Lawrence, who each scored twice, and Lad Harper, Nino Sindoni and Jonas Johnson who had one apiece.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

Saint Joseph’s 3, St. Bonaventure 2 (Game 1 — April 18)

Saint Joseph’s 6, St. Bonaventure 1 (Game 2 — April 18)

Saint Joseph’s 14, St. Bonaventure 2 (April 19 — 5 innings)

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The St. Bonaventure women’s lacrosse team suffered a series sweep on the road at Saint Joseph’s over the weekend.

Over the course of their double-header on April 18, the Bona bats connected for just four combined hits.

In the third and final game of the series, the Bonnies racked up seven hits. Unfortunately, their efforts were dwarfed by the 16 hits that the Hawks recorded which brought across 14 runs.

Abigail Ahern had Bona’s lone multi-hit game of the weekend, going 2-for-3 with a run in the finale.

batesoleanstar@gmail.com

ST. BONAVENTURE — It seems as though there might be some magic woven into the renovations at Fred Handler park.

Since St. Bonaventure returned to its newly upgraded facility (March 31), it has gone 7-1 at home. The most recent of those wins, a 5-4 victory over defending Atlantic 10 champions Rhode Island, gave the Bonnies their first series sweep of the season.

“Yeah, 7-1 at home, we feel really good about playing at home. We’ve had a lot of good luck here,” Bona head coach Jason Rathbun said. “We’ve played some close games, got some big hits. It’s just different. It’s different when you’re not in hotels and traveling in buses, and you’re sleeping in your own bed. You get used to your own routines and it’s big for us. I think getting a sweep like this against the defending champs from last year says a lot about where we want to be and where we’re headed.”

The Bona pitching staff certainly had its moments in the sweep-clinching game. Notably, both starting pitcher Tristan Ciampa and closer Joey Calabretti worked their way out of a bases-loaded jam with one out on the board. For Ciampa, it preserved the narrow 3-2 lead the hosts had built through 3.5 frames. For Calabretti, it put the tally in the win column.

It was a second save in as many appearances on the bump for Calabretti, whose mentality was praised by Rathbun.

“Joey Calabretti’s a pretty mentally tough kid, he’s a competitor,” Rathbun said. “I came to the field today and just asked him how he was feeling. I was asking more in the sense of, ‘are you OK to play left field?’ ‘Are you OK to hit?’ And he was like, ‘I got an inning today if we need it.’ And I was like, ‘that’s not really what I was asking you, but that’s good to know.’ Then, when the game got tight a little late, … he came out and got the job done.”

Both the Bonnies and Rams connected for a significant amount of hits on the day, and frankly not much less would have been expected considering how the entire series transpired. Over the course of the three games — two of which were played in a double header on April 17 — the sides combined for 61 hits and 11 home runs.

“The message with the guys has been to swing the bat harder,” Rathbun said. “I think that we’ve been a little too indecisive with check swings, not letting our hands go and being free. … If the pitch comes in and you’re fooled by it, just swing through it, get a good swing off instead of these check swings, balls bounced in the infield, we’re not driving the baseball as much. I think we did a good job. It was a good hitting day yesterday, too, with the wind. The weather was good for bats yesterday, so we were able to capitalize on a good hitting day.”

St. Bonaventure’s Anthony Fernandez (27) connects on a pitch against Rhode Island. Fernandez went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a home run in the Bonnies win over the Rams. (Spencer Bates)

The source of two of Bona’s nine hits in the series finale was Conner Vercollone, who had just three hits in all of April leading up to the game. For Rathbun, it was special to see an experienced player such as him double up on the day.

“He just hasn’t had the same success he had last year, but you still have that confidence in that kid,” Rathbun said. “He’s played a lot of innings here, playing a lot of games for us. So we kind of know what we’ve got with Connor. 
You can’t just ride the hot waves, you’ve got to ride the cold ones too. He’s got a lot of experience, he doesn’t hurt us defensively, he does a good job, and he just battles. He’s a great kid. We’re happy he was able to get a couple hits today.”

There is an air of familiarity around Bona’s recent run of form.

Rathbun noted that last year has been similar to this year in that his team spent a lot of time away from home early in the schedule, which made finding a routine difficult. But now that they are having some stretches of games at home, he has seen a bit of a rhythm develop. He hopes that this season, they can get some momentum going soon enough to perhaps find a way into the A10 tournament.

“We’ve kind of done this before, we did it last year too, where we’re on the road a lot early, and we’re fighting and clawing, and then we get a run at home,” Rathbun said.
”It’s probably a big reason why we won seven of our last nine in the conference last year, because we had a good run at home. Hopefully, we can kind of do the same thing this year. It seems like we are. We got a big one next week, Dayton’s right ahead of us. … So, we’re still in this. We gotta go out and win the series that we’re supposed to win down the stretch, (and if we) get a little help here and there, I can see us maybe finding the back door into this tournament.”

St. Bonaventure will head north to face Niagara on April 21 for a mid-week fixture before hosting Dayton for its next A10 series.

O-E earned a 3-0 lead in the first inning following a Shane Magee solo homer and Wyatt Blendinger notching a two-RBI single. Through four frames, the Terrors appeared to have the game in hand with a 9-3 advantage. 

In the seventh, Camryn Young recorded a double that brought three across the plate. Konnor Davis came to bat once the Hubbers were down 9-8. His two RBI single gave Smethport their first and only lead of the game 10-9, completing the last inning seven-run comeback. 

AT DUKE CENTER

Smethport 020 100 7 R:10 H:9 E:3

Otto-Eldred 321 300 0 R:9 H:8 E:2

Smethport: Hungiville (5 SO, 5 BB), Riekofsky (9 SO, 7 BB) Catcher: Young

Otto-Eldred: Schenfield (6 SO, 4 BB), VanCamp (0 SO, 4 BB), Sheeler (0 SO, 3 BB) Catcher: Splain

Port Allegany 18, Oswayo Valley 4

SHINGLEHOUSE, PA – Kellen Veilleux powered Port Allegany to a lopsided win over Oswayo Valley.

Veilleux had a perfect day at the plate, going 5-for-5 with five RBI and four runs.

Garrin Wright (3-for-4, 2 RBI, run) and Nick Wilfong (2-for-5, 2 runs) each had multi-hit days for the Gators as well.

AT SHINGLEHOUSES

Port Allegany 208 012 5 R:18 H:X15 E:2

Oswayo Valley 200 200 0 R:4 H:8 E:3

Port Allegany: Wilfong (9 SO, 3 BB), Wright (0 SO, 0 BB) and Boyd

Oswayo Valley: Karr (4 SO, 3 BB), McCleaft (4 SO, 1 BB), Worthington (0 SO, 2 BB), Karver (0 SO, 1 BB) and Bachand

HS SOFTBALL

Port Allegany 20, Oswayo Valley 2 (3 innings)

SHINGLEHOUSE, PA – With 11 runs in the first inning and nine in the second, Port Allegany scored a three-inning win on the road at Oswayo Valley.

Kendra Ayers led the Gators, going 3-for-4 with three runs and RBI. Brynn Evens (2-for-2, 3 runs, 4 RBI), Madison Errick (2-for-2, 3 runs, 4 RBI, 2 BB) and Jaidyn Mahon (2-for-3, run, 4 RBI) all had a major impact in the victory as well. 

AT SHINGLEHOUSE

Port Allegany (11)90 XXX X R:20 H:12 E:1

Oswayo Valley 200 XXX X R:2 H:4 E:2

Port Allegany: Wilcox (5 SO, 0 BB) and Errick

Oswayo Valley: Grovanz (1 SO, 7 BB), Bloom (1 SO, 4 BB) and Bloom

Portville 8, Frewsburg 0

PORTVILLE, NY – After three scoreless frames to start the game, Portville brought seven runs in the fourth inning en route to a shutout victory over Frewsburg.

Sienna Schoonover led the Panthers, going 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI. Ella Warters also had a multi-hit game while striking out 13 from inside the circle. Kylie Mendl and Madison Ford each tallied two RBI.

AT PORTVILLE

Frewsburg 000 000 0 R:0 H:2 E:4

Portville 000 071 X R:8 H:8 E:1

Frewsburg: Hyldahl (3 SO, 1 BB) and Reale

Portville: Warters (13 SO, 1 BB) and Zeigler

Otto-Eldred 9, Smethport 2

DUKE CENTER, PA – Taking advantage of 10 walks and eight errors, Otto-Eldred grabbed a comfortable victory over Smethport.

Baylee Francis filled the stat sheet for the Terrors, going 2-for-2, with three runs, three RBI and two walks. She also struck out 13 batters on the night, the third of which being her 100th career strikeout.

Kenyan Kellogg had two hits in the win as well.

Jasmine Miller led Smethport with two hits.

AT DUKE CENTER

Smethport 010 100 0 R:2 H:3 E:8

Otto-Eldred 204 012 X R:9 H:4 E:4

Smethport: Miller (4 SO, 10 BB) and Tronetti

Otto-Eldred: Francis (14 SO, 3 BB) and Rounsville

Fredonia 12, Salamanca 1

SALAMANCA, NY – The Fredonia offense was hot from the start, putting Salamanca behind 8-1 after three frames.

Five defensive errors from the Warriors only aided the visitors.

Delaney Haley, Addison Earley, Charli Ross and Ella Martens each picked up a hit in the loss.

AT SALAMANCA

Fredonia 305 001 3 R:12 H:9 E:1

Salamanca 100 000 0 R:1 H:4 E:5

Fredonia: Delcamp (10 SO, 2 BB)

Salamanca: Ross (5 SO, 2 BB), Haley (0 SO, 1 BB)

Allegany-Limestone 28, Jamestown 1

ALLEGANY, NY – The Allegany-Limestone Gators routed the Jamestown Red and Green 28-1.

Jamestown got on the board first; however, in the bottom of the first, the Gators scored nine runs on three hits, with two runs coming from a Jamestown error. The Gators continued to pull away, outscoring Jamestown 18-0 in the final three frames. Seven Gators had a multiple-RBI game.

AT ALLEGANY

Jamestown 100 00X X R:1 H:4 E:8

Allegany-Limestone 91(12) 6XX X R:28 H:12 E:0

Jamestown: Maggio (1 SO, 16 BB) and Potter

Allegany-Limestone: Ka. Truman (5 SO, 2 BB), Ke. Truman (2 SO, 1 BB) and P. Truman

Olean 8, Southwestern 3

JAMESTOWN, NY – Tiana Maine’s full game and 13 strikeouts led the way for Olean in an 8-3 victory over Southwestern.

The Huskies jumped out to a 4-0 lead after a Trojan error, Alyx Henzel’s walk, and an Allison Anastasia two-RBI base hit. Olean added two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively. Anastasia finished the night with two RBIs while three other Huskies recorded an RBI.

AT JAMESTOWN

Olean 040 022 0 R:8 H:5 E:5

Southwestern 000 020 1 R:3 H:3 E:3

Olean: Maine (13 SO, 8 BB) and Bates

Southwestern: Burnett (9 SO, 5 BB) and Carlson

GOLF

Olean 34.5, Allegany-Limestone 21.5

Olean 35.5, Franklinville 19.5

ALLEGANY, NY – The Olean boys golf team defeated both Allegany-Limestone and Franklinville to move to 3-0 on the season.

Cam Bartman had the low round for the Huskies, recording a 41.

A-L’s Collin Kahm was the medalist on the day, shooting a low round of 39.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

St. Bonaventure 7, Rhode Island 4 (Game 1)

St. Bonaventure 15, Rhode Island 13 (Game 2)

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY – Taking both games of a double-header against Rhode Island, the Bonnies solidified their second Atlantic 10 series win of the season.

Alex Hebenstreit led Bona in the first game of the day, going 2-for-4 with a three-run home run. Joey Calabretti and Antonio Cordeiro also left the yard in the game, with Calabretti bringing across two with his blast.

Game Two was a high-scoring affair with the Bonnies just about holding on after taking a one-run lead in the bottom of the seventh.

Calabretti hit yet another home run off the Rams in the second game, this time a grand slam. Anthony Fernandez got in on the action with a homer as well.

Calabretti filled the stat sheet for the Bonnies, going 3-for-5 with two runs and five RBI

BOYS LACROSSE

Salamanca 11, Gowanda 8

SALAMANCA, NY – The Salamanca boys lacrosse team picked up its fifth consecutive win, much in part thanks to its defense which held Gowanda to just three goals in the opening half.