For the first half hour of Boston College baseball’s scheduled first-round Beanpot matchup against UMass, it was up in the air when the two teams would actually be able to hit the field.
While snow fell on the Heights on Tuesday morning, it was a stretch of rain that delayed the first pitch of the annual tournament. But once things got underway, BC’s bats wasted no time getting going.
The No. 23 Eagles (23–11, 9–6 Atlantic Coast) used a five-run first inning to take an early lead, which they turned into an 11–1 run-rule win over the Minutemen (6–18, 2–13 Mid-American). During the victory, BC showcased the small-ball philosophy they have become known for this season.
The Eagles had more runs than hits. They worked seven walks, stole nine bases—BC’s most in any game since 2017—and forced multiple fielding errors, extending their midweek record to a perfect 9–0.
“I give our kids a lot of credit,” BC head coach Todd Interdonato said. “Because they had the game plan, and then they just let it rip.”
The win meant a little something extra for the Eagles, coming in the first round of the 2026 Beanpot. The Eagles will have the chance to win the trophy next week at home.
“I know how much the Beanpot means to this city,” BC right fielder Carter Hendrickson said. “I know we haven’t had it in, I think a couple years, so this is kind of one of those things where you’re playing for something bigger than yourself.”
The Minutemen did not let the rain delay keep them from a hot start. After a leadoff flyout, a Gavin O’Brien double and a Ty Fox single put runners on first and third. A sac fly scored O’Brien to put UMass up 1–0, but Fox was caught stealing in the next at-bat to end the top half of the first.
BC responded in the bottom of the frame. Ty Mainolfi started things off with a walk, then stole second base before Nick Wang singled up the middle to put runners on first and third. Jack Toomey followed Wang with a single of his own to tie the game 1–1. That’s when BC’s small-ball style kicked in.
Wang and Toomey executed a double steal, both getting into scoring position, and a wild pitch allowed Wang to run home and give BC a 2–1 lead. After Hendrickson walked and stole second base, Luke Gallo laced a two-RBI triple to right-center to make it 4–1. Another wild pitch saw Gallo come home before a Colin Larson lineout ended the inning with the Eagles up 5–1.
In the first inning alone, BC stole four bases, drew three walks, took home twice on wild pitches, and scored five runs—all while registering just three hits. That trend continued in the second, when a hit-by-pitch and stolen base from Julio Solier allowed Wang to drive him in with a single.
As the sun came out, the bats went away for both teams. There was just one hit—a double from Braden Sullivan—over the next two innings.
BC’s pitching with runners in scoring position was key to the Eagles maintaining their lead. UMass got a runner to second base in each of the first five innings. But outside of the first frame, BC’s arms were able to hunker down and prevent any damage.
BC’s offensive attack returned in the fifth inning. Toomey hit a leadoff single, and Hendrickson followed him up with a bunt single that turned into two bases thanks to a UMass throwing error. Gallo walked to load the bases, and Danny Surowiec grounded out to score Toomey and put BC ahead by six.
Cesar Gonzalez knocked BC’s second extra-base hit of the day as a flare off the end of his bat dropped into right for a two-run double. Gonzalez pushed to third after a failed pickoff attempt led to UMass’ second error of the inning, but two straight outs kept him there.
After the fifth, though, it was clear that BC had found the pitcher that would carry it to the win: Jacob Burnham. Burnham pitched four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out three batters. It was enough for the sophomore lefty to secure the save.
“Today, [Burnham] just got a lot of swings and misses on offspeed down,” Interdonato said. “And I just feel like when he works north and south, and gets a ball below the zone, that’s a huge thing for him.”
BC ended things early in the bottom of the eighth. Mainolfi singled, and Wang walked to put two runners on, and a double steal put them both in scoring position for Hendrickson. Hendrickson came through, hitting a two-RBI single up the middle to secure an 11–1 run-rule win for the Eagles.
“[I was] just looking for something over the plate,” Hendrickson said of his last at-bat. “Obviously, I got two strikes, and just looking to battle and kind of put a ball in play, and luckily I found a good spot for a knock.”
