Boston College Baseball Sweeps Jackson State

The Eagles flew south to Jackson, Mississippi, and started their 2019 campaign right, sweeping a rain-shortened, three game set from the Jackson State Tigers.

Senior Dan Metzdorf got the start in Friday’s season opener, and pitched seven dominant innings, conceding only two hits, a walk, and a run (unearned), while striking out four.

DH Sal Frelick made the most of his collegiate debut. Frelick broke a scoreless tie in the 5th with a two run homer, and finished the day three-for-four with two RBIs, a walk, and two stolen bases.

Boston College did most of their damage in a five-run eighth inning, highlighted by sophomore left fielder Chris Galland’s two-run double. The Tigers attempted to mount a rally in the 9th, tagging BC sophomore Will Hesslink for two runs on three hits and a walk without recording an out, but John Witkowski came out of the bullpen and promptly stopped the bleeding, saving a 7-3 victory for the Eagles.

The Eagles followed up Friday’s victory with a lopsided, 11-2 win in Saturday’s matinee. Sophomore right-hander Matt Gill matched Metzdorf’s strong start, allowing two hits across seven scoreless innings. Senior third baseman Jake Alu led the offensive charge, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs, a walk, and a stolen base.

The Boston College offense showed no signs of slowing down in Saturday’s night cap, as the Eagles piled up 14 hits in a 9-5 win. Frelick got the nod in center field and continued his hot start to the season, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. First baseman Jake Cunningham went 2-of-4 with two RBIs and two walks.

It seemed that the BC bats still had plenty of hits left in them for Sunday’s scheduled finale, as the Eagles pushed across six early runs. Alas, the game was called off in the top of the third due to rain.

The Eagles (3-0) will head down to Daytona Beach, Florida, next weekend for a series with Bethune-Cookman (1-2).

Notes:

• Frelick finished the series 6-for-11 with a home run, 6 RBIs, 4 runs scored, and 5 stolen bases
• As a team, BC stole 16 bases on 16 attempts, and compiled a .306 batting average
• The pitching staff combined for a stingy 2.67 ERA and 1.07 WHIP