The GW baseball team avoided a sweep at host St. Bonaventure by salvaging the final game of its three-game series with a10-2 victory Sunday afternoon at McGraw-Jennings Field.

GW’s offense finally came through Sunday after lying dormant Saturday, when the Colonials lost both games of a doubleheader to the Bonnies (10-8, 3-3 Atlantic 10) Saturday.

GW dropped the first game 2-1 and lost the second 6-2. Strong pitching performances by both Bonnies starters halted the Colonials’ bats and proved the difference in both contests.

The Colonials (19-13, 6-3 A-10) return home Tuesday to face Georgetown University. GW’s probable starter Ron Christie defeated Georgetown when he last faced them in a doubleheader March 20.

GW 10, St. Bonaventure 2
Sunday, April 8

After falling behind by one run in the first inning, GW answered with a big four-run inning in the second. Mike Bassett started the rally with a leadoff homerun, tying the game at one apiece. Chris Barry walked, stole second and reached home on a Tony Dokoupil single to leftfield. Dokoupil then stole second and scored on a double to center from Jake Wald. Tony Brown bunted to bring Wald home for the final run of the inning.

The Bonnies put up another run in the fourth inning, but GW answered back with one run in the bottom of the fourth and another three runs in the top of the fifth inning. Dan Rouhier singled to start off the fifth and scored on a St. Bonaventure error. Wald singled home Bassett and Ross Smirne to put another three runs on the scoreboard.

“We swung the bat well,” GW coach Tom Walter said. “Bassett hit a big home run to get us started.”

Greg Conden pitched a solid game. He picked up his fourth win Sunday to improve his overall record to 4-3 and 3-0 in the A-10. He pitched five innings giving up only two runs on five hits. Reliever Mike O’Connor replaced Conden in the sixth and pitched three innings of scoreless ball. Bryan Beggs closed the deal pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

“Conden had a quality start and we had good support from the bullpen,” Walters said.

St. Bonaventure 6, GW 2
Saturday, April 7

St. Bonaventure took the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader 6-2, taking advantage of a shaky first inning by GW pitcher Glen Skutnik. The Bonnies knocked Skutnik around for five runs early and the Colonials could not recover.

Dan Dennison led off the game and reached first base when Skutnik failed to cover the base on a grounder to second. After Mike Tegeler flied out, Skutnik walked Mark Evers. Both runners advanced on a single by designated hitter Tim Burris. Skutnik walked the number-five hitter with the bases loaded, scoring Dennison.

A single by Mike Rapacioli drove in both runners in scoring position, and he advanced on a wild pitch. Mike Sedor then singled scoring Jon Myler from third, and Sedor scored the final run of the inning on a fielder’s choice.

“(Skutnik) hurt himself in the first inning when he didn’t get over to cover first base – a play that had to be made,” Walter said. “You have a mental mistake, then walk a few and suddenly they have five runs. Had we got that leadoff hitter it would have been a different ball game.”

Skutnik settled down after the first inning allowing only one run on five hits in his remaining four innings, but the Colonials couldn’t muster up the offense to erase the early deficit.

GW tried to close the gap in the third when Matt Krimmel’s double drove in Travis Crowder and Tony Brown, but the Colonials couldn’t squeeze any more offense out of St. Bonnies’s starter Kevin Niemczura.

St. Bonaventure 2, GW 1
Saturday, April 7

The Colonials and Bonnies headed into extra innings tied 1-1.

But Jim Wolf led off the eighth inning with a double for the Bonnies. He would score on an RBI single by Mike Tegeler, helping lead the Bonnies to the 2-1 victory.

GW starter Jason Baker had a strong outing on the mound giving up only two runs on four hits in seven innings work but GW couldn’t provide the offensive support for the win.

“We had our chances but we couldn’t get a big hit,” Walter said. “We had so many opportunities with ten people left on base in a seven-inning game – those are opportunities you have to capitalize on.”