BOSTON, MASS. — Talk about a change of scenery.
Playing two games in a row at one of the oldest, most-renowned ballparks in America isn’t something many college teams get to do. And while there are few things more exciting than getting to face off against an in-state opponent at Fenway Park, winning at Fenway Park must be up there.
But what about hitting a grand slam at Fenway Park to lead your team to that win? That must be up there, too.
With his team trailing, Boston College baseball’s Josiah Ragsdale cranked a ball into center field. Instead of reaching its peak and coming down, it kept going, and going, and going.
The ball flew over the bullpen and into the stands, giving Ragsdale a grand slam that capped off a five-run eighth inning for BC (22–23, 9–15 Atlantic Coast) and earned the Eagles a 13–6 win over UMass (12–26–1, 6–15 Atlantic 10) in the 2025 Baseball Beanpot at Fenway Park.
“We had some really cool moments,” BC head coach Todd Interdonato said. “It felt more normal in the first and second inning, but you still get goosebumps and chills first walking into the ballpark. [You] can’t help it.”
Despite the Eagles jumping out to a 4–0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth, they trailed 6–4 as the game headed into the top of the eighth due to struggles from BC’s pitching staff, which allowed the Minutemen to score six unanswered runs.
After consecutive scoreless innings, the Eagles desperately needed a score in the top of the eighth. Beck Milner saw that need and stepped into the box ready, cracking a home run into right field to cut BC’s deficit to one.
Then, Ragsdale’s grand slam later in the inning brought Patrick Roche, Sam McNulty, and Julio Solier home to put the Eagles up three.
Looking to maintain BC’s lead, Gavin Soares pitched back-to-back strikeouts on his way to holding UMass scoreless in the inning. That momentum continued into the top of the final frame, as Vince Cimini led off with a hit-by-pitch, and Beck Milner blasted a double into left field to score Cimini from first.
Then, a picture-perfect bunt from Solier allowed him to get to first and sent Austin Hartsell—a pinch runner for Milner—to make his way to third. Another bunt, this one from McNulty, pushed Hartsell through home and extended the lead to 11–6.
With Solier sitting on second, Ragsdale hit a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing Solier home for BC’s third run of the inning.
McNulty stole third, looking for a run of his own. Designated hitter Owen DeShazo delivered, hitting an RBI single toward third base that bounced right along the left-field foul line, bringing the inning to a close with the Eagles leading 13–6.
For the game’s first four innings, the Eagles thrived thanks to Kyle Kipp’s performance on the mound. He gave up three hits and no runs, allowing the Eagles to go up 4–0 headed into the bottom of the fifth.
BC’s fourth-frame fire began with Cimini’s one-out single through the left side. Milner followed that up with a single of his own, and both runners advanced on a Colin Larson groundout. With two outs on the board, it seemed the Eagles would have to make quick work to get at least one run on the board. Instead, a disastrous sequence from UMass pitcher Ben Thomason allowed them to get three.
Thomason’s first wild pitch scored Cimini and sent Milner to third. McNulty walked, then another wild pitch sent him to second. Roche stepped up to bat and made contact, sending the ball to left field. UMass fielded the ball, ready to end the inning by sending it to first base. But the throw flew right past the first baseman, and BC tallied two more runs while Roche made his way to second.
Although Ragsdale’s strikeout right after that ended the inning with Roche left on base, the damage had been done.
But Kipp faltered in the Minutemen’s four-run fifth inning, prompting multiple pitching changes. He walked two batters in the bottom of the fifth—his first two walks of the game—then gave up an RBI double that prompted Interdonato to send Karl Meyer in from the bullpen.
“It was in the fifth when he started to falter, and you could just see that they just weren’t as uncomfortable with his off-speed stuff in the fifth,” Interdonato said. “We were getting ready to make a move, and then he walked those two guys in the start of the fifth.”
The first batter Meyer faced hit an RBI single to right field. That was enough for Interdonato to pull him, too, and John Kwiatkowski entered the game to give it a shot. UMass scored two more runs with him on the mound, tying the game 4–4. Then, two seventh-inning runs gave the Minutemen a 6–4 lead.
But improved pitching thanks to Soares, followed by the Eagles’ huge eighth inning, propelled by Milner’s home run and Ragsdale’s grand slam, allowed BC to burst back into the winning column—and at Fenway, no less.
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