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No. 1 Cavaliers Fall 5-4 in 11 Innings at Boston College
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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Anthony Melchionda doubled in Matt McGovern with the game-winning run in the 11th inning as Boston College topped the No. 1-ranked Virginia baseball team, 5-4, Saturday afternoon at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Commander Shea Field in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The series is now even at a game apiece.
Virginia (41-5, 19-4 ACC) suffered just its second road loss of the season (11-2) and dropped to 3-2 in extra-inning contests. Boston College improved to 16-25 overall and 7-15 in the ACC.
David Coleman (Sr., Richmond, Va.) went 3-for-4 to pace the Cavaliers’ offense. Danny Hultzen (Jr., Bethesda, Md.) reached base in all four of his plate appearances, with a single, double, two walks and two runs scored. With an 0-for-5 day, Steven Proscia (Jr., Suffern, N.Y.) saw his career-best 15-game hit streak come to an end.
Justin Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.) took the loss for UVa and fell to 2-1 this year. He had dominated through 2.2 scoreless innings before giving up the two deciding hits in the 11th inning. UVa starter Tyler Wilson (Sr., Midlothian, Va.) worked 5.1 innings, allowing four earned runs, six hits and a walk while striking out six. UVa lost for the first time this year when Wilson starts on the mound (11 games).
Kyle Prohovich (3-1) earned the win after pitching four scoreless innings of relief. BC starter John Leonard tossed five innings, allowing three runs, six hits and three walks. McGovern led BC with three hits, while Nate LaPointe hit a three-run home run.
Virginia got on the board in the second inning. After UVa loaded the bases with none out, Reed Gragnani (So., Richmond, Va.) lifted a sacrifice fly to right field. Keith Werman (Jr., Vienna, Va.) then laid down a well-executed safety squeeze bunt to score Kenny Swab (Sr., Kernersville, N.C.).
Boston College responded with three runs in its half of the second. After BC put runners on first and third with none out, Wilson recorded back-to-back outs before hanging a breaking ball, which LaPointe crushed for a three-run home run to left field.
UVa loaded the bases with none out in the fourth inning before tying the game on a Gragnani groundout, which scored Hultzen.
BC regained the lead in the sixth, getting a leadoff double from McGovern and a one-out RBI single from Andrew Lawrence, which spelled the end of the day for Wilson.
UVa tied the game in the eighth. Hultzen led off with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Mitchell Shifflett (Fr., Midlothian, Va.), who promptly stole second and moved to third on a throwing error. One out later, Coleman singled through the drawn-in infield to knot the score at four.
BC put a runner at third base with two out in the bottom of the eighth, but Swab made an outstretched diving stop on Lawrence’s rocket down the first-base line, then got up and beat him to the bag to keep the score tied.
After struggling against Thompson in the previous three innings, the Eagles wasted little time in pouncing on him in the 11th to get the win. McGovern singled to right on the 1-0 pitch, and Melchionda doubled to right-center to easily score the winning run.
The series wraps up with the rubber game at 1 p.m. Sunday.