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Kelder, Williams Power Opening Day Win at Mount St. Mary's, 12-3

Matthew Williams homers during the sixth inning of Friday's game (Photo: Becky Polaski)
Matthew Williams homers during the sixth inning of Friday's game (Photo: Becky Polaski)

Batting

St. Bonaventure
2B: Tyler Kelder; Matthew Williams
3B: none
HR: Tyler Kelder; Matthew Williams
Mount St. Mary's
2B: Thomas Bramley; Vaughn Parker II; Jared Urban
3B: none
HR: Thomas Bramley
full stats
Posted: Feb 21, 2020

Box Score (PDF)

EMMITTSBURG, MD – Tyler Kelder and Matthew Williams combined for six RBIs as the St. Bonaventure baseball team opened the 2020 season with a 12-3 victory at Mount St. Mary's Friday afternoon.

The weather just over the state line into Maryland was cold, but the Bona offense warmed up after a slow start.

Mount St. Mary's took a 2-0 lead with a run in the second and added another in the third after a dropped pop up led to a second tally for the hosts.

The Bonnies quickly turned the tide, though, with a dominant fourth inning. St. Bonaventure sent 13 men to the plate in a frame in which Kelder set the tone immediate with a leadoff homer to left center.

Williams walked, Kevin Higgins reached on an error and Kevin Koziol tied the game with a one-out base hit. One pitch later, Branden Myers put the Bonnies on top, 3-2, with a hit to left.

St. Bonaventure never looked back from that point.

Jeff Palczewski and Brendyn Stillman both walked with the bases full to force in runs, then Kelder nearly ended up with a grand slam, settling for a drive off the fence to the deepest part of the park that plated two more runs. Another double from Williams capped off the uprising as nine runs crossed the plate in the inning.

The Bonnies played tack-on from there – Stillman had an RBI ground out in the fifth before Williams played long ball with a homer to right to lead off the sixth. Myers capped off the scoring with a run-scoring single.

Elijah Baez got the start for the Bonnies after missing most of last season due to injury and worked 4.2 innings, allowing two earned runs with two strikeouts. Michael Krauza got the win with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing two hits. Freshman Tripp Breen made his collegiate debut with a perfect ninth inning to close the door, striking out the final batter of the game on a called strike three.

Kelder went 3-for-6, scoring two runs, while Williams and Higgins both had two hits and a pair of runs scored. Myers went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.

The Bonnies and Mount St. Mary's are back in action Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m.

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