This week's stories:
Bonnies gain some breathing room in East
By Tracy Nelson The baseball team looks to extend its five-game winning streak and now lead the Atlantic 10 with a record of 15-6 overall, and 8-3 in conference play, with three wins this week. The Bonnies were back in action on Thursday at Canisius, with results not available at press time. "We're heading up there with some question marks with three minor injuries to (senior second baseman Mike) Sedor, (senior outfielder Dan) Dennison, and (junior right fielder Mike) Rapacioli, and using five pitchers against Niagara," head coach Larry Sudbrook said. Also, the Bonnies travel to St. Joseph's for a three-game series this weekend in a highly anticipated A-10 match-up. "St. Joe's had a huge weekend like we did sweeping Fordham, and it's always a very, very emotional game for us," Sudbrook said. "Both of the teams go after each other pretty hard, so I look for it to be a tough three-game series." The Bonnies defeated Niagara 12-7 on Tuesday at McGraw-Jennings Field. After the Purple Eagles took a quick 2-0 lead, the Bonnies helped themselves to four runs in the second inning to lead 4-2. Rapacioli hit a two-run homer to score himself and senior outfielder Dan Dennison, who led off with a single. "The last few games Rap(acioli) started to show that he's getting his stroke back," said. "He could be a big key for us if he gets going like he did last year, he could really help us." Last year Rapacioli set a school record with 14 home runs. In the fourth against Niagara, senior third baseman Mike Tegeler stole second after getting hit by a wild pitch. Junior designated hitter Josh Paine doubled, scoring Tegeler, and then crossed the plate on a ground out by freshman shortstop Craig King. The Bonnies scored three more runs in the third, led by Tegeler's single, which scored Dennison, who reached base on single. Paine's second double on the day, scored Tegeler and Rapacioli. Once again, Dennison and Rapacioli scored in the fifth on sacrifice flies from Tegeler and Paine. Later in the six junior left fielder Greg Osganian bunted down the left-field line. He was brought home off a double from junior first baseman Kevin Ryan. Sophomore shortstop Eric Wilson then doubled, scoring Ryan. The final run for the Bonnies came off a double from Osganian in the seventh. "Nobody on the team is hitting horrible," Sudbrook said. "But in the first 21 games, nobody is hitting more consistently than Osganian at .350 or so." Sophomore Nate Cameron got his first win of the season from the mound. Cameron was among five Bonnies' pitchers to see action on Tuesday. Also this week, the Bonnies completed a sweep of the defending champion Temple in Atlantic 10 play. After a postponement due to rain, the Bonnies faced a double header on Monday. "I don't think you ever expect to sweep anybody in the conference," Sudbrook said. "When you've played in the same division for so long, there are very heated rivalries, and sweeping somebody is very difficult whether you're better than them or not." In a seven-inning Game 1 to make up for the rain out, the Bonnies came away with a 5-4 win over the Owls. The Bonnies tied the game 2-2 in the second when Sedor tripled to left center, scoring Ryan, who singled earlier, and freshman catcher Damian Blakeley, who reach first on an error. The Owls answered with a two-run shot by Jeff Roma in the top of three to lead 4-2. In the final frame of the game, both Osganian and Tegeler singled before Wilson brought them in with a game-winning three-run homer to seal the win for the Bonnies. Junior Matt Gunesch picked up the win in four relief innings, improving his record to 3-1 on the season. In Game 2, the Bonnies were held scoreless through five, trailing 5-0. The bases were loaded off singles from Blakeley, Osganian and Tegeler. Then, Dennison hit a grand slam, to pull the Bonnies within one, 5-4. With the score tied 5-5 in the ninth, Osganian led off with a single to left center. Temple pitcher Brian Ursone intentionally walked Dennison and Ryan, which brought up Paine. The designated hitter answered with a game winning RBI off a hit to left. Freshman Mike McCormack tallied his first collegiate win, striking out one in one inning on the mound. The Bonnies earned their first win of the Temple series, 4-1, last Sunday afternoon in typical Western New York weather. The rain forced a postponement of second game of the scheduled double-header. The team was behind solid pitching from junior Kyle Johnson in his third complete game of the season. Johnson improved his record to 3-1.
Ryan earns time at first base, takes time to enjoy life off field
By Scott Carroll Junior first baseman Kevin Ryan plays baseball the way he handles life. "I just want to have fun," said Ryan. "I don't know if I'll take baseball to the next level. But that's my ultimate goal, and if it doesn't happen, then I feel baseball has helped me become a strong competitor especially for the big game, the game of life." His baseball career began at five, playing T-ball. Coached by his father and mentor in minor and majors in Little League, he then went on to win the State Championship as a senior at Rome, N.Y., High School. "Everyone has a mentor and, besides my parents who are my biggest supporters, my high-school baseball coach was the man," Ryan said. "He helped me believe in myself, told me that I could be successful at the next level. He called me up in ninth grade and drilled into my head that I could help the varsity team. That season, I hit .333, and my confidence grew each year till my senior year when I became MVP of our league and earned All-State honors. I owe him big for that." Ryan played at the next level after turning down offers from LeMoyne and St. Joseph's. "I chose Bona's because of how beautiful the campus is and its religious background. I was brought up going to church every Sunday, but with the schedule that I have, it's hard to get there now every week," he said. Ryan also said his father was a very important influence on his life. "I'm a spitting image of my father. I want to grow up to be like my father in every aspect. Just the way he handles himself and deals with people and with life, how successful he is and his motivation, makes me strive to be like him. I've never seen him have a bad day before. Just like me, he hates seeing people with frowns on their face, because life is too precious not to have fun with it,"he said. "My father taught me the basics of how to be classy along with my mom. He's taught me how to deal with different issues and with stress. Both my parents taught me, in my youth, the morals and values of life," Ryan said. "It's always been easy for me to meet new people, I think I just come off as a friendly guy, and when they get to know me, that's when I start to get crazy. I guess that's what makes me tick," he said. Ryan received more playing time this season. "Freshman and sophomore years were pretty tough. Being a junior this year, I've gotten bigger, stronger, and coach (Larry Sudbrook) knows what I can do," Ryan said. Ryan, or K-rye which he's often called, has not only started 20 out of the possible 21 games this season at first-base for the Bonnies, but he is also batting .315 and has a slugging percentage of .384. His 17 RBIs, 28 total bases with 23 hits and 19 runs scored has helped St. Bonaventure to a 15-6 overall record and 8-3 topping the Atlantic 10 East Division. People in the community and his fellow players on the baseball team speak of Kevin with awe. "He is a respectful friend, has a huge heart and would do anything for anyone," said junior pitcher James Coyne. Senior pitcher Corey Casilio said, "He's a great friend, great guy. His personality is what makes him tick, you feed off of him, and he's a people person." Ryan said his goals in life are, "First, to enjoy the next year and a half of my college career, cause you only get one. Second, to graduate and then have a successful job immediately after college. My main purpose in life though is to have a good time. I don't like to see people down in the dumps, so that's when I have to get crazy and do something ridiculous to make them laugh."
Young team finishes third in A-10
By Jesse Fleming The men's tennis team captured third place, losing in the semifinals, at last weekend's Atlantic 10 Championships with a young team featuring four freshmen. "I think this team lived up to expectations, we're a very young and inexperienced team but we went out and proved that we could beat anybody this year," said head coach Mike Bates. The Bonnies downed Dayton 4-2 in the first round of the tournament April 12. The team won the first four singles matches of the match with victories by juniors Vili Nurmi and Mikko Haulos and freshmen Mario Arce and Nikhil Murali. Haulos collected an impressive 6-0, 6-2 victory over Brad Nykiel at No. 2 singles. St. Bonaventure also earned the doubles points after a victory at No. 1 doubles by the tandem of Nurmi and Arce who defeated Dayton's Carl Christiansson and Nykiel 8-4, and a victory at No. 2 doubles by the team of Haulos and Murali. "The doubles point was very big. Their coach told me that his team played their best tennis of the year against us that match, but we fought through and won," Bates said. The next day, the team faced No. 1 seeded Richmond. The Spiders effectively ended the Bonnies hopes of repeating as A-10 champs with a 4-2 victory. Arce collected the only singles point for the Bonnies when he upended Dan Scrafford 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3. St. Bonaventure wrestled away the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 by the tandems of Arce and Nurmi, and Murali and Haulos respectively "We played the best doubles we had ever played in my seven years here in the Richmond match," said Bates. "We really wanted to play them, we were very confident going into the singles matches but Richmond stepped up and played great," Bates said. In the final match of the tournament, the Bonnies squared off against Xavier. The Musketeers beat the Bonnies 4-3 on March 29. This match would be a different story as St. Bonaventure pulled off a 4-3 victory over the third seeded Musketeers to secure a third place finish for the tournament. As in the previous two matches of the tournament, a win by the No. 1 doubles team of Arce and Nurmi and a victory by the No. 2 doubles tandem of Haulos and Murali earned the doubles point for the Bonnies. After victories at No. 2 singles by Haulos and a win by Arce at No. 3 singles, the Bonnies held a 3-1 lead. A victory at No. 4 singles by Murali would seal the win for the Bonnies. However, Murali had to face Aaron Bauer who had defeated him 6-1, 6-4 in their previous meeting on March 29. After losing the first set 4-6 Murali used gritty play to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-4 for a thrilling three set victory to capture the win for St. Bonaventure. "Nikhil battling back to win the last two sets really shows how much he's improved this year," Bates said. As a result of graduation and transfers, the team had to fill four roster spots this season from last year's A-10 championship team. Bates brought in four freshman recruits this season to fill the void. Arce and Murali both enjoyed successful seasons for the Bonnies this year. Arce became the first Bonnie to ever be nationally ranked when he obtained the 135 ranking by Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings. Murali also gained some accolades when he was named A-10 Rookie of the Week for the week of March 31-April 7. Freshmen Adam Price and Kevin MacDonald did not fare as well in their first season with the Bonnies. Neither player collected a singles or doubles point for the Bonnies throughout the entire A-10 tournament. Price went 0-3 playing at No. 5 singles, while MacDonald went 0-3 at No. 6. They were also unable to collect a victory teaming up at No. 3 doubles in the tournament. Bates said that despite the pair's struggles he believes that they have showed that they are willing to improve. "Both Adam and Kevin were unsatisfied with their play this year, that's a good thing because if they were happy with the way they played then they would not want to work hard to get better for next season," Bates said. Bates did not rule out the possibility of recruiting new players to strengthen the bottom of his lineup. "We're always looking for players," he said. With Nurmi and Haulos returning for their senior seasons, along with his freshmen gaining another year of experience, Bates thinks that next year's team could have a good shot at a championship. "We were really clicking near the end of the season, all the players are comfortable playing with each other and there is chemistry throughout the line-up, there's no reason why we can't win it all next year if we are willing to put in the hard work." The team finishes the season with a 12-10 overall record with a 5-3 A-10 mark.
SBU falls in two conference games with four remaining
By John Salzler After winning four straight games, the Bonnies dropped their last three, 12-7 to Duquense, 18-10 to Richmond and 11-9 to Sacred Heart. "This season has been a rollercoaster ride, we won four straight and now we lost three straight. With four games left it's going to be a tough stretch, but if the team comes out focused, we can win three out of the last four games," said head coach Tony Zostant. The Dukes opened the scoring first with a goal, but the Bonnies quickly answered as sophomore attacker Colleen Crane scored her only goal of the game. Both teams traded goals in the first half which ended in a 4-4 tie. Duquense again quickly scored to start the second half, however freshman midfielder/attacker Kelly Chevez quickly answered with a goal 20 seconds later. Chevez led all scorers with four goals and two assists for six points. Junior midfielder Emily Lilyea added two goals while junior goalkeeper Katy Jensen had 17 saves. "We played a great first half, but we lost our focus in the second half. We have been focusing well. We need to play 60 minutes," said Zostant. The Bonnies (5-7, 1-3 A-10) play on Saturday, hosting George Washington at McGraw-Jennings Field. In their loss on Sunday, Richmond scored two quick goals in the first four minutes of play, but the Bonnies answered back with a goal from Crane. Freshman attacker Tracy Domm had three goals while Chevez had two goals in the first half. Both were held scoreless in the second half. Jensen had 19 saves in goal for the Bonnies. "The reasons for the other two losses were we had too many turnovers and we had a couple of key injuries at certain positions. At times we don't play both ends of the field like a team should," said Zostant. Against Sacred Heart, the Bonnies played without starters Chevez and sophomore attacker Katie Murphy, both were recovering from injuries. The Pioneers took a 7-6 lead at halftime but the Bonnies answered quickly to open the second half. The Bonnies took an 8-7 lead on goals from Domm and Lilyea. Sacred Heart scored the next three goals to take a 10-8 lead and this would eventually be too much to overcome for the Bonnies. Domm led the team with three goals and one assist, while sophomore midfielder Sarah Swarthout also had three goals. Crane had one goal and two assists, and Lilyea added one goal and one assist. Junior attacker Rachel Dell had one goal, while Jensen recorded 19 saves in goal for St. Bonaventure. Whitmore back as women's assistant
By Vinny Pezzimenti Marti Whitmore will be back in the fold for the women's basketball program, only this time it will be as an assistant. Head coach Jim Crowley announced Monday that his predecessor as head coach will join the Bonnies' staff. Whitmore, a 1985 graduate of St. Bonaventure, headed the Bonnies from 1993-2000, compiling a record of 85-110. In all, Whitmore has been affiliated with the St. Bonaventure women's program for 12 years, including one season as an assistant in 1992-93. "This is a situation I am completely comfortable with. There are no egos involved. I look at coaching as a team effort. I am so happy to be back because St. Bonaventure is a place I love dearly and I want to do whatever I can to help the team succeed," Whitmore said. Whitmore joins Scott Young and Kelly Mathews on the Bonnies' staff. After leaving St. Bonaventure following the 1999-2000 season, Whitmore left coaching for a year but resurfaced this past season as an assistant at Western Kentucky. Whitmore was named interim head coach at Western Kentucky for the final five games of the season after head coach Shawn Campbell was suspended in February. The Hilltoppers finished 16-14, reaching the Women's NIT. Before she returned to St. Bonaventure in 1992, Whitmore was a head coach at Elmira College for four seasons. She also was head girls coach at both Corning East High School (1986-87) and Scotia-Glenville High School (1985-86).
SBU hopes for solid showing at A-10s
By Jesse Fleming Head coach Mike Bates said a middle-of-the-pack finish for the Bonnies' women's tennis team would be considered a success at this weekend's Atlantic 10 Championships in College Park, Maryland. "We want to prove that we're one of the top six or eight teams in this conference, that`s been our goal the entire year," said Bates. Twelve teams play in the A-10. Bates said that the team will probably be seeded ninth for the tournament, after finishing the regular season with a 4-11 overall record. The Bonnies head into the tournament on a two-match winning streak. They defeated Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis in a tournament two weeks ago at Bucknell. Bates believes that, for the team to be successful, all his players must step up and play well. Improving the team's doubles play will also factor into the team's success this weekend according to Bates. "Playing good doubles will be very helpful," he said. Bates is particularly encouraged with his team's mental preparedness heading into the tournament. "I really think that the team really looks mentally ready after watching them play this week," he said. Overall, Bates expects solid performances from his two seniors Johanna Pesola and Megan Harvison, who conclude their St. Bonaventure careers this weekend. "I think Johanna really wants to end her career on a good note this weekend. Both Megan and Johanna are going to be leaders for us this weekend because of their experience," he said. Bonnies travel to A-10 East rival Massachusetts
By Nate Dougherty After dropping two of four games this week, the softball team (7-13, 5-7 Atlantic 10) looks to reload for a three-game showdown with Atlantic 10 foe Massachusetts on Saturday and Sunday. The Bonnies are currently in an 0-for-lifetime slump against the Minutewomen, who have won the regular season conference championship 13 of the past 16 years, including each of the past 10 years. The women have dropped 27 straight contests to UMass. After shouldering the workload for much of the season, junior pitcher Emily Hart looks forward to the team's chance to prove themselves against UMass. "We're all going into the weekend open-minded. There are some speculations that it's UMass, and it's going to be tough. But I think that we're just going to go in there and give it our best. How great would it be if we could steal a couple games from them," Hart said. A series sweep of UMass could move the Bonnies from fifth to fourth place in the A-10 standings. The top four teams in the conference will reach the playoffs. "We've still got a good chance of making the A-10's, which is what we're all shooting for. If we could take at least one game from UMass this weekend that would be clutch," Hart said. On Wednesday, the Bonnies split a double header at Cornell. They lost the first contest 8-0 but recovered to take the second game 5-0. In game one, Cornell scored two runs in the first and second innings and four in the third. The Bonnies' hitting woes continued in this game as they only managed three hits for the game. As a team they have hit .257 this season and struggled with game to game hitting consistency. The Bonnies recovered to take the nightcap on the strength of a four-run first inning, capped by junior third baseman Dawn Setter's two-run double. She finished 2-for-2. Freshman pitcher Kristen Scheffold recorded a complete-game shutout to earn her first collegiate victory. On Tuesday, the Bonnies lost two games at Canisius, 3-2 and 2-0. In the first game, the Bonnies jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning on junior shortstop Tricia Hildebrand's two-run home run. Canisius chipped away at the lead, scoring one run in the second and fourth innings before taking the lead in the fifth on a home run by Jill Iacono. The Bonnies recorded just three hits in the game. In the second game, the Bonnies fared even worse at the plate, getting only two hits. The Golden Griffins scored two runs in the second inning and held on for the 2-0 victory. On Monday, the Bonnies defeated Saint Joseph's 1-0 behind the five-hit shutout effort from Hart. Hildebrand came through for the Bonnies with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, dropping a single into center field to drive home sophomore outfielder Victoria Magatti, who singled to lead off the inning. On Sunday, the Bonnies' fell to St. Joe's 6-1. The Hawks out hit the Bonnies' 11-4 in the game. St. Joe's scored five runs in the fourth inning and Hawk pitcher Brandie Adams allowed only four hits while recording seven strikeouts.
By Matt Dougherty After the second retirement of Michael Jordan, the sports world was left without a dominant superstar. After last week's win at the Masters Tournament, Tiger Woods once again stepped forward as the most well-known and publicized figure in the sports world. Woods won his third Masters Tournament last weekend, shooting 12 under par and beating the rest of the field by three strokes. He also won the tournament in 1997 and 2001, and became only the third player ever to win the tournament in back to back years. Woods also won the 1999 PGA Championship, 2000 U.S. Open, 2000 British Open, and 2000 PGA Championship. He held all four major titles at one time, something which had never been done before. When Jordan left the game of basketball after the 1998 season, everyone was looking for one athlete to stand above the rest and become America's new superstar. Most people looked to basketball, but players like Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter don't even compare with Mike's greatness. However, Woods has risen above other athletes to dominate a sport like no one has in a long time, maybe not even Jordan in his prime. Woods won two amateur championships while attending the University of Stanford, but truly gained recognition at the 1997 Masters. Woods, only 21 at the time, shot a record 18 under par and won by a record 12 strokes. The final day at the Masters was simply a coronation for Woods' dominance and a sign of things to come. When Woods won the 2001 Masters to complete a sweep of the majors and hold every title at once, people began to wonder if he would ever be stopped. It has become a bigger surprise when Woods doesn't win than when he does. Woods is on pace to surpass golfers such as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer as best all-time, but his public appeal extends beyond the world of golf. Before he even won his first major, Woods signed a record deal with Nike, and began an advertising competition for his presence in commercials. Now he also owns a deal with Titelist, which provides his golf balls and equipment, and also with Buick. Woods' appeal also shows because everyone does not like him. If you're going to be a truly popular and important athlete, fans of other players are bound to dislike you. Last week, there were plenty of people who were less than happy about Woods' victory. While Jordan is still around and playing basketball today, he clearly does not have the same skills he used to have. Woods has become the top guy, and looks to stay that way for a long time. Kim Dodson Year: Freshman Sport: Softball This week: Dodson went 3-7 with 2 RBI and a homerun in a doubleheader at Buffalo. She went 2-4 with a triple and 3 RBI in a win over Rhode Island. She posted a .400 batting average for the week, as the Bonnies went 1-3.
Baseball Sat./Sun. at St. Joe's(3) 12 p.m. Wed. at Bucknell(2) 2 p.m. Thu. CANISIUS 2 p.m. Softball Sat./Sun. at UMass (3) 12 p.m. Wed. at St. Francis(2) 3 p.m. Thu. BUFFALO(2) 3 p.m. Lacrosse Sat. GEORGE WASHINGTON 12 p.m. Women's tennis Fri.-Sun. at A-10 Championships Golf Fri.-Sun. at A-10 Championships 27 The number of games the softball team has played - and lost - against the University of Massachusetts. The Bonnies take on the Minutewomen for three games this weekend.
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