Boston College Baseball: Weekly Roundup

Boston College dropped a disappointing game at UConn on Wednesday afternoon, but bounced back to upset the 20th ranked Florida State Seminoles, taking two of three in Tallahassee.

Joe Mancini got the start for the Eagles in Storrs and took the loss, allowing two run on two hits in two innings pitched. The Huskies scored two runs in the first and led the rest of the way. BC’s lone run was scored on a throwing error in the top of the second. UConn added a run in the fourth, and held on for a 3-1 win.

The BC bats appeared to find the warm Florida weather more agreeable, as they collected 14 hits on the way to a 10-7 victory in Friday evening’s series opener.

Dan Metzdorf got the start and picked up his third win of the season, allowing three runs on six hits, three walks, and six strikeouts across six solid innings.

The Eagles lit up Florida State starter Drew Parrish, touching him up for five runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. Catcher Gian Martellini got things started in the first with a three-run home run, and BC added two more runs in the second on a Chris Galland sacrifice fly and a Sal Frelick RBI single, respectively.

Shortstop Brian Dempsey singled in a run in the third, and later drew an RBI walk that gave BC an 8-3 lead in the sixth. Dempsey went 3-4 with two walks in the leadoff spot, and the top three Eagles in the batting order (Dempsey, Sal Frelick and Jake Alu) went a combined 8-12 with five walks and five runs scored.

The Seminoles mounted a charge in the bottom of the eighth, tagging reliever Joey Walsh for four runs, and cutting the BC lead to 8-7. But first baseman Jack Cunningham drove in Frelick with a single in the ninth, and BC added an additional insurance run on a passed ball.

Matt Gill came on for the save, and worked a scoreless ninth to preserve the 10-7 win.

The Seminoles wasted no time in getting to BC starter Joe Mancini on Saturday evening, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Eagles hung around, picking up a run on a wild pitch in the sixth, another on a fielder’s choice in the seventh, before Dempsey singled home Alu to knot the score at 3-3. Dempsey went 3-4 on the day.

BC called upon Walsh again, looking for a bounce-back from Friday’s dismal performance. Though he pitched a scoreless 8th, Walsh walked the lead-off man in the ninth on four pitches. A bunt moved the runner into scoring position, and second baseman Mike Salvatore promptly drove him in with a game winning single: 4-3 Seminoles.

Freshman Mason Pelio continued his brilliant season, improving his record to 4-1 while lowering his ERA to 1.45 and WHIP to .953. Pelio pitched seven innings of shutout ball, allowing only two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.

The game was a pitcher’s duel for six innings, as FSU starter Shane Drohan compiled 5.2 shutout innings, and lowered his season ERA to 1.38. But BC got to the Seminoles bullpen. Frelick broke a scoreless tie in the top of the seventh with a two-run home run. Martellini singled in another run in the seventh, and the floodgates were open.

The Eagles added four runs in the eighth, scoring one on a Dempsey RBI single, two more on a throwing error, and another on a Cody Morissette RBI single. Dempsey picked up yet another RBI with a sacrifice fly in the ninth, capping off a stellar weekend for the junior shortstop. He finished the series 8-12 with five RBIs.

Matt Gill pitched two scoreless innings, allowing two runs on four strikeouts, to finish off the 8-0 win.

Up Next: The Eagles head back to BC for 10 consecutive home games. They host UMass on Tuesday and Hartford on Wednesday, before a three game set with NC State.