The first pitch of Boston College baseball’s Friday contest against Wake Forest was thrown at 4:04 p.m. Twenty-five runs later, Wake Forest emerged from Friday’s matchup victorious—at 8:01 p.m, just under four hours later.
Both teams combined for only four runs through the first four innings––all scored by BC in the bottom of the first––21 runs awaited in the final five innings, punctuated by a seven-run top of the seventh from Wake Forest (20–6, 5–5 Atlantic Coast).
The Eagles, after facing deficits of 11–4 and 14–8, were in position to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth after scoring two runs and landing themselves in a bases-loaded situation, but BC came up short and fell 15–10.
The Eagles (11–15, 1–9) struck first, plating four runs in the bottom of the first inning. BC’s Joe Mancini retired Wake Forest’s hitters in order in the top of the inning, and the Demon Deacons’ ace Rhett Lowder—who entered Friday with a 2.65 ERA in six starts—failed to match Mancini.
Rafe Chaumette led the Eagles off with a double. Cameron Leary reached on a dropped flyball in shallow left on an apparent miscommunication between left fielder Adam Cecere and shortstop Michael Turconi. Luke Gold was hit by a pitch on a 1–2 count, loading the bases for the Eagles’ first baseman Joe Vetrano.
Vetrano barreled a line drive up the middle, but due to Wake Forest’s shift, he ended up in a double play. Chaumette scored on the play, though, making the score 1–0.
Parker Landwehr singled with two outs, and Peter Burns homered to right field to extend BC’s lead to four runs after one inning.
Mancini and Lowder settled in for the next three innings, combining for seven strikeouts––Mancini with five and Lowder with two––as neither team managed to advance a runner past second base.
Going into the top of the fifth, BC maintained its 4–0 advantage. Wake Forest right fielder Pierce Bennett led off the inning with a single to third base, and after a Danny Corona strikeout, Tommy Hawke singled to center, turning over the lineup with runners on first and second. Leadoff man Nick Kurtz drew a walk, loading the bases for third baseman Brock Wilken.
Wilken turned on a fastball, sending a flyball over the left-field wall for a grand slam to tie the game. Mancini retired the next two Wake Forest batters, but after the fifth, the score was tied 4–4.
Joey Ryan relieved Mancini to begin the sixth, and aside from a walk, he pitched a scoreless inning. In the bottom of the inning, Burns drew a one-out walk, and Lucas Stalman’s single put runners on first and third with one out. Center fielder Barry Walsh grounded out to first base, ending the inning.
Wake Forest’s offense––which entered Friday with a .313 team batting average, good for fifth in the ACC––put up a seven-run seventh inning, with eight consecutive batters reaching base before recording an out. With Hawke and Kurtz on base, Wilken hit his second home run of the day—a three-run shot to left field—and crossed home plate for his seventh RBI.
Cecere added an RBI single, and Bennett and Corona added RBIs, making it an 11–4 game going into the bottom of the inning.
BC added six more runs, but Wake Forest answered with four of its own. Wake Forest reliever Camden Minacci earned the save, striking out Leary with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.
Featured Image by Steve Mooney / Heights Editor
