University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
St. Bonaventure
Baseball Downs St. Bonaventure 6-5 In Atlantic 10 Tournament
May 19, 2000 | Baseball
May 19, 2000
BOYERTOWN, Pa. -- Freshman pinch hitter Jeff Altieri (Whitinsville, Mass.) hit a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead the University of Massachusetts baseball team to a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over St. Bonaventure on the second day of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Minutemen improve to 25-21-1 on the season with the victory, while the Bonnies fall to 26-16 and are eliminated from the tournament.
UMass trailed 5-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth, but came back with four runs in the inning to take their first lead of the day. Junior outfielder Gavin Clark (Springfield, Mass.) led off the inning with a double, then senior second baseman Shaun Skeffington (Fall River, Mass.) and sophomore outfielder Mike Kulak (Bristol, Conn.) followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to cut the lead to 5-4. After a pair of walks loaded the bases, Altieri delivered his pinch hit single to give the Minutemen the victory.
The Bonnies had opened the scoring with three runs in the top of the third inning. Outfielder Jim Wolf led off the inning with a home run to right center, then shortstop Mark Evers followed with a solo homer of his own to left field. The third St. Bonaventure run scored when catcher Jon Myler doubled and came around on an RBI double by designated hitter Tim Burris.
The Minutemen answered with a single run in the bottom of the fourth, when sophomore shortstop Aaron Senez (Springfield, Mass.) led off with a double and came in to score on an RBI double by Clark. The Bonnies then added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning on a two-run homer by Myler, to increase their lead to 5-1. UMass began its comeback with a single run in the bottom of the seventh, when Kulak doubled, moved to third on a single by junior outfielder Nick Gorneault (Springfield, Mass.), then scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore catcher Chris Morgan (Cranston, R.I.).
Kulak finished the day three for five with a pair of doubles, while Clark was two for four with two doubles of his own. Junior righthander Nick Skirkanich (Cheshire, Conn.) picked up the victory in relief, tossing two scoreless innings to improve his record to 6-2 on the season. Starting pitcher Craig Szado (Monson, Mass.) threw the first seven innings for the Minutemen, striking out six while allowing five runs on eight hits.
The Minutemen will return to action when they face either Virginia Tech or George Washington in an elimination game. The game, which will be carried live on WHMP 1400 AM in Northampton, will be played either late this evening or on Saturday morning.
UMass 6, St. Bonaventure 5 St. Bonaventure (26-16) 003 000 200 -- 5 9 1 UMass (25-21-1) 000 100 14x -- 6 13 1 SBU: Kevin Niemczura, Corey Casilio (7), Dave Bryant (8), Saul Solveson (8) and Jon Myler, UM: Craig Szado, Nick Skirkanich (8) and Chris Morgan. 2B: Jon Myler (SBU), TIm Burris (SBU), Shaun Skeffington (UM), Mike Kulak 2 (UM), Aaron Senez (UM), Gavin Clark 2 (UM), 3B: None, HR: Mark Evers (SBU), Jon Myler (SBU), Jim Wolf (SBU). Win: Skirkanich (6-2), Loss: Bryant (1-1), Save: None.
