URBANA, Ohio – Bonus baseball did not prove to be kind to the Wheeling Jesuit baseball team Wednesday. The Cardinals fell by a single run, 5-4 and 1-0, in back-to-back eighth innings against the Blue Knights of Urbana University.
 
After two walks loaded the bases, a WJU (9-20/8-16 Mountain East Conference) passed ball scored the game-winning run in the first game, before an Urbana (12-15/10-12 MEC) one-out single plated the lone late contest run.
 
Patrick Ammar continued to lead the Cardinal hitters with three singles. Joe San Felippo tripled and Logan Schickler doubled as the two lone extra base hits. Brock McGivern added two hits.
 
On the mound, Dillon Sunnafrank produced a second-game gem. The sophomore from Cambridge, Ohio gave up only two hits, both singles, and struck out seven without a walk.
 
Wheeling Jesuit completes it three-week road swing starting Saturday at Fairmont State. First pitch set for 1 p.m.
 
Game 1
 
Trailing 1-0 after two innings, Cody Hudson led off the WJU at bat with a single. He stole second base, was sacrificed to third and ran home on an Anthony Connacher ground out. Two batters later, San Felippo tripled home Ammar, who singled, to go ahead, 2-1.
 
Urbana regained the lead with three scores in the fourth, 4-2. Wheeling Jesuit tied the game, 4-4, with single runs in the fifth and sixth frames.
 
In the home eighth, the Blue Knights' Enmanuel Lopez connected on a lead-off single and Brody Bream pinch ran for him. Following two-straight strikeouts, the Cardinals walked the next two batters to load the bases. The strategy, though, did not work as Beam raced home on a passed ball to end the game, 5-4.
 
Game 2
 
WJU and Urbana combined for five hits and no runs through seven innings.
 
In the top of the eighth, McGivern started the Cardinal at bat with a single. He was sacrificed to second and advance to third on a wild pitch with one out. The next two WJU were retired on a ground out and a fly out.
 
As like the opener, Lopez reached base to lead off the Urbana bottom of the eighth. After the Lopez walk, Beam pinch ran and three hitters later ran home with the game-deciding run for the second time when pinch hitter Nick Gallagher lined a single.