Bonnies gear up for Atlantic 10 Championship

May 5, 2009

A-10 Championship Bracket | A-10 Championship Central

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - The St. Bonaventure softball team will open play in the 2009 Atlantic 10 Championship on Wednesday, May 5, against Saint Louis at 3:00 at Fordham University's Bahoshy Field.

St. Bonaventure (12-26, 9-11 A-10) is the sixth seed in the Championship while Saint Louis (21-31, 12-6 A-10) is seeded third. It will be the Brown and White's first meeting against Saint Louis in the Atlantic 10 Championship, as the Bonnies enter their fourth Atlantic 10 Championship in the last five years under head coach Mike Threehouse.

A win over Saint Louis would move the Brown and White into the quarterfinals to face second seed Charlotte on Thursday at 3 pm. A loss would drop St. Bonaventure into an elimination game at 5:00 on Wednesday against either host Fordham or Saint Joseph's.

The Bonnies hold a 2-6 all-time mark in the Atlantic 10 Championship. St. Bonaventure made its first-ever appearance in the Championship back in 2005, which oddly enough was also on Bahoshy Field at Fordham University. The Brown and White's two wins at the Championship came in 2005 against Saint Joseph's and in 2006 against top-seeded Charlotte.

This year's squad waited until the final day of the regular season to clinch a spot in the tournament The Bonnies needed to sweep their doubleheader against A-10 rival Temple on Sunday, May 3, to pass the Owls for the sixth and final spot in the Championship.

Game one was a breeze for the Brown and White behind ace Sherri Thompson. Thompson delivered a complete game victory by allowing just one earned run on eight hits, while striking out seven. The second and deciding game between the two teams was a grind it out extra inning affair that featured multiple scoring chances for the home team. The Bonnies loaded the bases in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings, but failed to score in any of the frames. St. Bonaventure finally put Temple away in the bottom of the 12th inning thanks to an RBI single by freshman Ashley Nowak.

Nowak is the Bonnies' leading hitter with a .280 average followed closely by senior center fielder Kathryn Pazda and freshman catcher Brooke Frey, both at .278. Junior Sherri Thompson, who is 7-11 with a 3.93 ERA, leads the Bonnies' pitching staff.

Fans can follow the Bonnies run in the A-10 Championship on www.GoBonnies.com. All of St. Bonaventure's games will feature live video streaming with audio that can be watched for a fee of $9.95 per game. Live stats will also be available through Game Tracker which can be followed for free.