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Baseball
No. 21 Virginia Drops Series Opener to BC
March 16, 2018
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Boston College (7-8, 2-2 ACC) scored five of the game’s last six runs in a 6-2 series opening victory over Virginia (11-7, 1-3 ACC) at Disharoon Park.
Boston College broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the seventh, plating four runs including a two-run home run by Gian Martellini to make the score 5-1. Eagle starting pitcher Jacob Stevens scattered seven hits and allowed just one run over seven innings of work to earn his third win of the season.
“To his (Stevens’) credit he pitched a pretty good ball game,” head coach Brian O’Connor said. “We just couldn’t come up with a clutch hit, we’ve got to get better and we’ve got to want to be those clutch situations.”
Virginia had the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings but managed to score only one run. In total, the Cavaliers left a season-high, 15 runners on base and nine runners in scoring position over their final six turns at the plate.
Junior Andy Weber (Aurora, Ohio,) was a bright spot for Virginia offense, matching a season-high with three hits. He tied the game up at one in the bottom of the third inning on his first triple of the season. He came into the game tied for 10th in the ACC in hits and currently leads the team with 25 base knocks on the season. All three of Weber’s hits on the night came with two outs.
Cavalier starting pitcher Derek Casey (Mechanicsville, Va.) suffered his second loss of 2018 after working 6.2 innings, the third time he’s pitched into the seventh inning this season. The senior right-hander struck out seven batters and left the game with score 3-1 in favor of the Eagles. He was charged with three of the four runs in the seventh-inning Boston College rally.
Junior Nate Eikhoff (Bristow, Va.) was one of five other Cavaliers besides Weber to record a hit in the contest. He extended his hit streak to 13 games, the longest by a Cavaliers since Robbie Coman hit in 15-straight last season.
Boston College lead-off man Jake Palomaki went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs in the contest. He took two bases on a wild pitch in the first inning and later scored on a single to give the Eagles the initial lead in the top of the first. Martellini finished the night 2-for-5 with his second home run of the year and three RBIs.
The three-game series resumes on Saturday (March 17) with the middle game slated for a 1 p.m. start. The Cavaliers will have lefty Daniel Lynch on the hill who will be opposed by fellow southpaw, Dan Metzdorf.
Additional Notes
– Boston College has now won three-straight games against Virginia, its longest streak against the Cavaliers in a total of 25 all-time meetings.
– The victory was the first by Boston College in Charlottesville. The Eagles had been winless in their previous 12 tries at Disharoon Park.
– Virginia turned two double plays in the contest. The Cavaliers came into the game with six double plays in the first 17 games.
– The Cavaliers dropped to 3-4 on the season when opponents score in the first inning.
– Virginia batters struck out a total of 10 times, the most in a nine-inning game this season.