St. Bonaventure captured the Colonial Club Baseball Association playoff title Saturday, defeating the University of Rochester, 5-2, at Falcon Park in Auburn.

Co-captain Connor Wieczorek ripped a bases-clearing double to the left-centerfield gap in the bottom of the sixth to break a 2-2 tie. Joe Blackwell, who came out of the bullpen to thwart a Rochester rally in the top of the sixth, slammed the door in order in the top of the seventh to seal the victory. (The tourney games were seven innings.)

Senior co-captain Ben Confer, whose two-run double in the second staked the Bonnies to a 2-0 lead, said winning the league title was “as fulfilling and meaningful as any experience” he’s had in baseball.

“The improvements we made every year and the continued commitment we got from new guys made it so evident we could be a great team,” Confer said. “We knew at the start of the year we were going to be contenders just based on the amount of talent we had. But what got us over the hump was the comradery and closeness we had as a group.”

Rochester (7-5), which finished second in the CCBA Central Division, defeated Cornell, Oswego and New Paltz to reach the championship round.

The top-seeded Bonnies (10-2) edged two-time league champion University at Buffalo (9-4), 1-0, on Oct. 26 at SBU’s Fred Handler Park to advance to the title game. St. Bonaventure earned the top seed in the tournament by winning the CCBA West Division crown with an 8-2 record.

In the 1-0 win over UB, Ryan Denton singled, stole second and ultimately scored on an Ethan Smucinski fielder’s choice in the third inning for the game’s only run.

Pitchers Jack Larkin and Blackwell, backed by several defensive gems in the field, yielded only two hits apiece to advance SBU to the title game. The Bulls, who split with the Bonnies in the regular season, had won the previous two league titles.

The title was a gratifying exclamation point to the season for Confer and his teammates.

“There always seemed to be electricity and something special in the air when we took the field together,” Confer said. “It’s the greatest family atmosphere I’ve ever been a part of and has provided me with memories of my friends that will last forever.”

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).