Tyler Kelder’s four-hit day was not enough as the St. Bonaventure University baseball team fell to Miami (OH) in walk-off fashion, 7-6, Saturday afternoon on the road.
A walk and a fielding error put runners on first and second for the RedHawks in the final frame. A failed sacrifice bunt left runners in the same spot with one out before Landon Stephens lined an RBI ground-rule double to score the game-winning run.
Two runs in the bottom of the seventh tied the game at 6-6 on an RBI groundout and a run producing single.
The Bonnies jumped out to a first inning lead for the second consecutive day when Alex Schutz doubled home Sam Fuller. Schutz would touch home during a double play, giving the Bonnies a 2-0 lead.
Miami (OH) (14-3) would get momentum right back in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs to tie the game. A double and a hit by pitch tied the game at 2-2.
A Branden Myers’ RBI single in the top of the second allowed the Bonnies to re-gain the lead right away, 3-2. Myers then came around to score on a triple off the bat of Fuller, pushing the Bona lead to 4-2.
Once again, the RedHawks scored two of their own in the bottom of the second. Back-to-back singles put runners on first and second with one out for Miami (OH). A double brought the hosts back within one and an RBI groundout two batters later tied the game back up, 4-4.
The game remained tied until the top of the fifth inning.
Kelder doubled with one out to get a man in scoring position. Senior Brandon Henshaw followed him up by roping a double for himself, giving the Bonnies a 5-4 advantage.
Matthew Williams walked to put runners on first and second with just one away. Kevin Higgins stepped in and hit a single through the left side, allowing Henshaw to score from second, giving the Brown and White a two-run cushion, 6-4.
The Bonnies bats, however, would go cold only mustering up one hit the rest of the way.
Jeff Palczewski added a single for the Bonnies.
Braydon Nelson got the ball on the mound working five innings, striking out six and allowed four earned runs on six hits. Murphy O’Brien (3.0 IP 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB) worked in relief for the Brown and White as well.
The final game of the series in Oxford will be at 1:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon.