After dropping its Friday night game to Miami, Boston College baseball entered Saturday’s game looking to avoid a series loss to its ACC opponent.
But the Eagles were unable to do that.
And unlike Friday’s close loss, Saturday’s game became a 13–4 blowout as the Hurricanes (26–18, 11–9 Atlantic Coast) outscored the Eagles (21–22, 9–14) 9–0 in the second through seventh innings, leaving Sunday’s ALS Awareness Game at Fenway Park as the only chance left for the Eagles to get a win.
In the top of the first, the Hurricanes used two singles and a walk to load the bases. The damage was limited to one run after Eric Schroeder hit a batter with a pitch, pushing the first score of the game through home plate.
The Eagles didn’t waste any time getting on the board either, though. After two outs in the bottom of the frame, Jack Toomey got hit by a pitch to get on base.
One batter later, Gunnar Johnson blasted a 394-foot two-run homer over the left field fence to put the Eagles on top.
In the second inning, Miami reclaimed the lead. The Hurricanes led off the inning with consecutive singles, and Jake Ogden’s sacrifice bunt pushed the two runners into scoring position. Then, Max Galvin’s RBI groundout knotted the game at two.
Immediately after, Daniel Cuvet smacked an RBI double to regain the advantage for Miami. Cuvet wasn’t done though, scoring from second after two wild pitches to send the Hurricanes into the bottom of the second up 4–2.
After a hitless bottom of the inning from BC, BC head coach Todd Interdonato sent Tyler Mudd in for Schroeder, hoping to slow down the Hurricanes. Mudd did just that.
Although he gave up a walk to open the third, Mudd went on to pitch three straight outs, sending the game into the bottom of the third with BC still down two runs. But the bottom of the inning was quick, too, as the Eagles mustered no hits or runs.
The Hurricanes opened up the fourth inning with a single and double, then a sacrifice fly from Galvin extended Miami’s lead. The Hurricanes weren’t done, though. A sacrifice fly from Dorian Gonzalez Jr. scored Ogden before the inning came to a close, making it a 6–2 game.
In the top of the fifth, the Hurricanes’ momentum continued. They opened up the inning with a single, a wild pitch, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt to put two runners in scoring position.
Then, freshman outfielder Michael Torres cranked an RBI lineout to make it 7–2. One batter later, Ogden smoked an RBI double down the right field line to extend the Hurricanes’ lead to six.
During the next half inning, the Eagles got two runners on base following a hit by pitch and walk. The Hurricanes, however, responded with a strikeout from pitcher AJ Ciscar to eliminate any BC scoring chances.
Trailing by six, Toomey notched a hit in the bottom of the sixth. Ciscar responded again, however, forcing two straight strikeouts to close out the inning.
Ciscar allowed only three hits and two earned runs in his seven innings of action. The freshman pitcher also threw nine strikeouts.
“[Ciscar] was really good today, he was just kind of tunneling everything off each other,” BC head coach Interdonato said. “His execution was really good today.”
After a scoreless sixth for both teams, the Hurricanes scored two runs in the top of the seventh to post double-digits, thanks to RBI hits from Ogden and Galvin.
The Hurricanes got on the board in the top of the eighth, too, as an RBI single from Renzo Gonzalez extended Miami’s advantage to nine runs.
The bottom of the eighth began with two walks from pitcher Will Smith.
But Smith answered by striking out the next two pitchers. The Eagles kept their foot on the gas, however, and after another walk loaded the bases, Kyle Wolff reached on a throwing error and BC scored two unearned runs.
“They weren’t chasing out of the zone, that kid was just missing … Josiah [Ragsdale] just beating the third baseman to the bag, playing hard, playing good, tough baseball even though we were down,” Interdonato said. “Those things are great to see.”
During the top of the ninth, Ogden reached second after a fielding error by BC. Then, Gaby Gutierrez hit a home run off the left field foul pole to reclaim the nine-run lead for Miami and close out scoring in the Hurricanes’ 13–4 road victory.
The Eagles can look forward to Sunday afternoon’s ALS Awareness game, however, giving BC some semblance of hope despite consecutive losses.
“Between the Frates’ permission from me and our family and our staff to carry it forward, and then the Red Sox to give us that venue—that historic venue—to showcase and put it on that platform, just feel very grateful,” Interdonato said.
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