When senior Ramon Jimenez stepped up to the plate in Boston College baseball’s series closer against No. 23 Florida State on Sunday, the Eagles trailed 8–0 and had only recorded one hit all game. But on BC’s Senior Day, Jimenez provided the Eagles with a silver lining to an otherwise devastating loss, knocking in a solo homer to left center.
While the Eagles (19–30, 5–22 Atlantic Coast) still lost, Jimenez’s homer perhaps represents the fight BC’s roster has put up all year, constantly battling against injuries. And while BC put up a fight against the Seminoles over the three-game series—the Eagles earned a 3–2 win in the series opener on Friday—its efforts weren’t enough. Florida State (28–17, 22–7) defeated BC 10–4 and 8–1 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, handing the Eagles a loss in their final home series of the season.
In Sunday’s contest the Eagles’ lineup faced Florida State standout pitcher Bryce Hubbart, who allowed one hit over seven innings of work.
“He was great today, he’s got a really good fastball, gets to 95 with carry on it, and he’s able to mix with a slider and a changeup,” BC head coach Mike Gambino said. “We just couldn’t really get anything going.”
Florida State scored once in both the first and second innings before breaking out in the top of the third. The Seminoles recorded five straight singles in the third, during which they scored six runs.
From there, neither team scored again until Jimenez’s solo shot in the ninth. Jimenez was one of BC’s seniors who were honored during a pregame Senior Day ceremony on Sunday.
“I love these guys,” Gambino said of BC’s senior class. “It can’t be lost that they had a bit of a funky college career—we’re in the ACC Semifinals their freshman year, and then sophomore year and junior year was COVID. … It was good to get them back to a semi-normal senior year. They’ve meant so much to this program.”
Saturday saw a similar outcome to Sunday’s matchup. BC and Florida State were tied 4–4 heading into the seventh inning when the Seminoles took off.
In the seventh, Brett Roberts singled to bring in two runs, and then Alex Toral homered to bring in another two. Jaime Ferrer singled to add two more runs in the eighth, completing the Seminoles’ 10–4 win.
On Friday, the Eagles earned their only win of the series, outlasting Florida State 3–2. Right hand pitcher Joe Mancini was the story of the game, throwing a full nine innings for the Eagles. He gave up five hits and struck out four batters.
“He was awesome,” Gambino said. “He threw the ball great—really good mix. The kid’s just continued to work and get better all year, and it was good to watch that. … He was dominant.”
The Eagles enter an eight-day break before returning to action against Maine in a non-league contest on May 17 and playing a final ACC series against Clemson later in the week. Gambino said he hopes the break will give an injury-plagued BC roster some time to rest and get healthy.
“We’ve got to get healthy,” Gabmino said. “Everybody’s banged up, and it’s been that way throughout the year. Number one is our academics. Number two is getting healthy—feeling better again.”
