Chris Shaw singled up the middle to kickstart what the Eagles hoped would be another last-gasp comeback. With Shaw on first, Michael Strem stepped up to the plate but failed to advance his teammate when he fouled out to third. Tom Bourdon entered the batters’ box, but his at-bat ended with a fly out to right. It was more of the same from the Boston College baseball team, as it left another runner stranded.
Utility man Logan Hoggarth singled to get Shaw into scoring position on second base. With John Hennessy at the plate, the Eagles had an experienced player with the chance to level the game-but the theme stuck. Hennessy made contact and the ball trickled to the first baseman, who collected the ball and tagged first to end the game. Two more runners were left on base, for a total of 15 stranded runners over the course of the game. Shaw and Hoggarth could have made the difference in Wednesday’s game against St. John’s, which the Eagles lost 4-2.
The closest BC came to breaking through its struggles came in the bottom of the seventh, when Shaw batted in a run. The sophomore has been the hottest bat on the diamond for head coach Mike Gambino over the past few games. After knocking in five runners in a three-game series against NC State over the weekend and batting .571 in the series, the sophomore went cold against St. John’s, though he was able ground out to third to score Gabriel Hernandez to tie the game at 2-2. BC’s attempt at a comeback started in the fifth when Joe Cronin reached on a fielder’s choice to third base. Junior Blake Butera got to third and Hernandez scored.
BC had to dig itself out of the two-run hole after St. John’s got its offense going in the third. After two scoreless innings, the Red Storm tallied two runs in the top of the frame. Junior Robert Wayman was able to plate when Michael Donadio grounded out to second.
With the bases cleared, Matt Harris hit his sixth homer of the year with a rip off Justin Dunn, who was making his fourth appearance and second start of the season. Having pitched just three and one third innings over the season, he struggled to find his rhythm. Over the three frames he pitched, Red Storm batters were able to get six hits, in addition to those two runs.
The issue for Gambino’s team was not the pitching, though, it was getting runners home. The Eagles threatened on multiple occasions, but left men on base in eight innings. Failing to score in the eighth was the Eagles’ largest blown opportunity of the night.
Hennessy’s knock up the middle in the eighth got him to first, before he was advanced to second through a single to left from Hernandez. Sophomore pitcher Thomas Hackimer hit Butera, loading the bases for Cronin. Red Storm head coach Ed Blankmeyer made a change, removing Hackimer to put in Joe Kuzia. The reliever threw one pitch to Cronin, who flew out to center field to end the inning and thwart BC’s chance to level the tie.
When the Eagles had their chance in the eighth they were trailing by one run, after catcher Tyler Sanchez reached on a throwing error. The mistake pushed Robbie Knightes to third and plated Jarred Mederos.
BC’s chance to turn the tide was sandwiched between the run that helped the Red Storm take the lead and an insurance run that it scored in the ninth. Mederos struck again when he singled to third, before advancing to second on another throwing error by the Eagles. Wayman tallied the unearned run, which was enough to set the the Eagles back to 14-27 on the year.
