Baseball isn’t often compared to boxing, but watching Stephen Bruno of the Boise Hawks bat is a little like watching him spar with the pitcher.

Bruno isn’t the biggest player —he’s listed as 5-foot-9, 175 pounds — but he brings a bulldog mentality to the batter’s box.

“I don’t like to get cheated at the plate at all,” said Bruno, who scored the winning run in Boise’s 10-9 win over Spokane on Tuesday night. Bruno went 3-for-5 in the win, with two RBIs and two runs scored as he raised his batting average to .324. “I love hitting, and it’s such a great adrenaline rush when I get up to the plate and I’m facing the pitcher. I’m a big competitor, and I just love to hit.”

Boise manager Mark Johnson said he knows what he’s going to get from Bruno’s at-bats.

“He sticks his nose in there and always battles,” Johnson said. “He’s definitely a grinder.”

He’s also versatile. Bruno has played six different positions in the field. Tuesday night, he was playing third base, the position he played while at the University of Virginia. But he’s also played shortstop, second base and all three spots in the outfield.

“It’s nice having a guy who will go anywhere, especially when it keeps his bat in the lineup,” Johnson said. “He’s moved all over.”

Bruno said being a utility player keeps him on his toes.

“It keeps you honest, keeps you humble and you learn something new every day,” he said. “This is my 105th game, between college and coming here, and it just keeps it fun. You go to the field not knowing what position you’re going to play. … I’ve never really played outfield before. It gets you back to the basics.”

He’s hoping that will help him cut down on errors: He has team 12 errors, which tied him with shortstop Marco Hernandez for the most miscues on the Hawks’ roster.

“Honestly, I have never made as many errors in a short amount of time like I have,” Bruno said. “But it’s about adjustments, and that’s the thing about minor league baseball, each play’s a new play. You can’t dwell on it.”

And Johnson said he doesn’t expect Bruno to get down on himself.

“He was kind of worried about his errors, but I said, ‘Hey man, you’ve been playing all over the place. That’s something you don’t even need to worry about.’ ”

Errors or no errors, Bruno leads by example with his determination, said his roommate, Trey Martin.

“He competes every pitch and every at-bat,” Martin said. “And he plays every position hard.”

Chris Langrill: 377-6424