Maxwell Sparr/Collegian

After suffering a 10-4 loss at the hands of Vermont, the Massachusetts baseball team will continue its four-game home stand at Earl Lorden Field with a weekend series against Saint Bonaventure.

The Minutemen are closing a week in which their five-game winning streak was halted by La Salle followed by a narrow 11-10 victory at Siena followed by the rude homecoming by way of a 10-4 loss to the Catamounts on Wednesday.

Vermont ended the eight-game hitting streak of outfielder Mike Donato, who leads UMass (16-22, 8-10 Atlantic 10) with 52 hits. Prior to the game against the Catamounts, Donato hit a home run and three doubles with eight runs batted in during the hitting streak.

‘He swings the bat well and he just needs to stay within himself,’ UMass coach Mike Stone said of Donato’s physical ability. ‘He’s got a lot of talent as a hitter, as do a number of other kids.

‘It’s just a matter of getting themselves in the correct frame of mind to be patient and aggressive [while] at the same time getting quality pitches to hit and executing.’

Last season in a 6-1 UMass victory over the Bonnies (21-17, 7-11 A-10), junior outfielder Brian Baudinet went 3-for-4 including three singles and a run scored. He was 7-for-12 with two RBIs and two runs scored by series end.

Baudinet has had 11 multi-hit games this season and his speed always makes him a threat on the basepaths, evident from his six steals this season. However, simply putting the ball in play gives Baudinet a chance to use his speed. His four triples put him one behind Fordham’s Danny Leach for the conference lead.

He’s also shown great patience at the plate. He’s earned a team-leading 26 walks this season.

While Baudinet is expected to help lead the offense, the Minutemen will rely on their starting pitchers to limit the Bonnies at the plate. Probable UMass starting pitchers this weekend include Mitchell Clegg, Nick Serino and Jared Freni.

The Minutemen (225) and the Bonnies (212) are the two lowest run-scoring teams in the conference so each team will most likely look for its defense to dictate the outcome of the series.

Saint Bonaventure (4.78) and UMass (4.83) are third and fourth in the conference, respectively, in earned-run average, and opposing batters are hitting under .280 against either team, so plate discipline should be a key element to each team’s results this weekend.

‘We need to make a move,’ Stone said of his team as the season winds down.

‘We have only three weekends left and we’re right in the middle of the pack. It’s time for people to be ready to step forward and play their best.’

UMass last faced the Bonnies at Fred Handler Park, where SBU took two-of-three from the Minutemen in Saint Bonaventure, N.Y., in 2008.

Saint Bonaventure enters the series coming off of a 4-2 win over Niagara.

The Bonnies are led offensively by senior first baseman Anthony Randich, who totes a .348 average and 47 hits which include four home runs and 30 RBI, all of which are team highs.

Sophomore shortstop Jesse Bosnik has started in all 38 games for SBU this season and leads the team in runs with 32 and is second to Randich in hits, with 45.

Two Bonnies have six wins on the mound this season: junior Dennis Sherba (6-1) and senior Jim Britton (6-3). Opponents are hitting .254 off of Sherba, who has 42 strikeouts in 56-1/3 innings.

Britton shares the team-high of 45 strikeouts with sophomore Cael Johnson. Britton has also saved 10 games for SBU.

Johnson (4-4) has been a workhorse in the St. Bonaventure rotation. He’s tossed four complete games this season and has a 3.42 ERA but has shown a weakness for the long ball. So for this season, Cael’s given up a team-high eight home runs.

Mike Gillmeister can be reached at [email protected]