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Boston College Comes Back to Top No. 13 Cavaliers, 9-6
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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. Boston College scored four runs in the eighth inning to rally and notch a 9-6 win over the No. 13 Virginia baseball team Saturday at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Commander Shea Field in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The series is now tied at a game apiece.
The Eagles’ comeback offset a big day for the Cavaliers’ Danny Hultzen (Fr., Bethesda, Md.), who homered for the second straight day and drove in four runs as part of a 2-for-4 performance. Dan Grovatt (So., Tabernacle, N.J.) added a pair of hits for Virginia.
The bottom of the batting order did the majority of the damage for BC, with the six through nine hitters going a combined 9-for-14 with seven runs scored and four RBI. Brad Zapenas, the Eagles’ nine-hole hitter, went 3-for-4, including the go-ahead RBI double in the eighth inning.
Mike Belfiore (4-0) pitched the final two innings for Boston College to earn the win. Matt Packer (Jr., Germantown, Tenn.) took the loss and fell to 1-4 this season after giving up four earned runs, three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings.
Virginia starting pitcher Andrew Carraway (Sr., Marietta, Ga.) tossed 6.1 innings, giving up five earned runs and nine hits. He struck out two and did not walk a batter. BC starter John Leonard pitched 4.2 innings, giving up five earned runs, seven hits and four walks while fanning seven.
Virginia (29-8-1, 10-7-1 ACC) used a big blow to jump out to a 3-0 first-inning lead. Phil Gosselin (So., West Chester, Pa.), hitting leadoff for the first time in his career, opened the game with a walk. John Hicks (Fr., Sandy Hook Va.) scorched a single up the middle before Hultzen launched a long home run to right-center for his second home run in as many days as well as his second long ball of the season.
In the second, Boston College (24-14, 10-8) got on the board with a pair of runs. Leadoff hitter Mickey Wiswall hit a 3-2 pitch to straightaway center for his seventh home run of the year. With two outs, Garret Smith reached on an infield single and scored on a double to left-center by Mike Sudol.
The Eagles tied the score in the fourth on a one-out home run by Barry Butera, but UVa snatched the lead right back in the fifth with a pair of runs. After a walk to Hicks to lead off, Hultzen drilled a double to right-center to bring Hicks home. Grovatt then rebounded from an 0-2 count to walk and Hultzen and Grovatt combined for a double steal. One out later, Tyler Cannon (Jr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) hit a sacrifice fly to deep right-center to score Hultzen.
Boston College came back to tie the game in the seventh. With pinch hitter Harry Butera at the plate and runners at second and third, reliever Neal Davis (Jr., Baltimore, Md.) uncorked a wild pitch to score Sudol. Barry Butera then hit an infield single to score Zapenas and knot the score.
Virginia again bounced back to take the lead right back with a run in the eighth. Steven Proscia (Fr., Suffern, N.Y.) singled to lead off and then stole second with one out. After a walk to Jarrett Parker (So., Stafford, Va.), John Barr (So., Ivyland, Pa.) singled to left-center to plate Proscia.
Boston College scored four runs in the eighth inning to take its first lead. Packer walked the first two batters before Smith laid down a perfect bunt single between third and the pitcher’s mound. Sudol hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game and Zapenas followed with a double to right-center to score Butera with the go-ahead run. One out later, pinch hitter Anthony Melchionda singled up the middle to score two runs and give BC a 9-6 lead.
The teams will play the rubber game of the three-game series at noon Sunday.