Boston College Baseball: Weekly Roundup

Freshman ace Mason Pelio shined once again on Sunday, salvaging a rough week for BC baseball.

The Eagles hosted instate rival UMass on Tuesday, and suffered a disappointing 6-2 loss. Travis Lane got the start for BC and struggled with his command, walking five batters in four innings pitched, and allowing a run on a wild pitch in the 4th that put the Minutemen up 2-0.

The Eagles knotted the score at 2 in the bottom of the 4th when Cody Morissette drew a bases loaded walk and Gian Martellini brought a run home on a double play. But that would be the extent of BC’s offensive output. Will Hesslink relieved Lane in the 5th and took responsibility for the loss, conceding three earned runs in one inning of work, including a hit batsman with the bases loaded, and two walks. Eagles pitchers combined to walk 10 batters on the day.

BC dropped another home game against a regional foe on Wednesday, losing 7-4 to Hartford. Hartford pounced on starter Jack Nelson, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the 1st with an RBI single and two-run homer. The Eagles clawed back with consecutive runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings on RBI singles by Chris Galland and Martellini, and a sacrifice bunt by Jake Alu.

However, Hartford answered with an RBI triple in the 5th and RBI double in the 6th, both off BC reliever Joe Mancini, to retake a 5-3 lead. Freshman DH Ramon Jimenez blasted his first career home run, a solo shot, in the 6th inning, but the Eagles wouldn’t get any closer.

BC then welcomed in ACC foes NC State, who entered the week ranked somewhere between #1 and #4 in the country, depending on who you asked. Dan Metzdorf started, and pitched 6.1 solid innings for BC, allowing three earned runs on six hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. BC trailed 3-0 entering the bottom of the 7th, when the offense showed signs of life. Catcher Peter Burns singled home a run and short stop Brian Dempsey drove in another with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2. Jimenez then tripled home another run in the 8th to tie things up at three.

But reliever Joey Walsh continues to struggle, as the Wolfpack battered him for three runs in the top of the 9th, and ballooned his ERA to 8.34 on the season. BC pieced together a rally in the 9th, but came up short in a 6-5 loss.

The Eagles pitching staff struggled mightily in game two on Saturday, allowing a combined 14 earned runs on 13 hits and 12 walks. First baseman Jake Cunningham had a stellar day at the plate for BC, going 2-4 with an RBI triple in the first and a solo home run in the 6th, but there was little else to write home about, as the the Wolfpack trounced the Eagles 16-4.

Freshman phenom Mason Pelio continued his streak of impressive Sunday starts for BC, allowing only one run and two hits on two walks across 7.2 quality innings. Cunningham drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the 1st, and NC State tied it at one on a solo home run in the 4th.

Lane bounced back from his rocky start against UMass, blanking the Wolfpack across the final 1.1 innings and picking up the win. Jake Alu singled home the go-ahead run in the 8th, and Sal Frelick added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly that finished off the day’s scoring in a 3-1 BC win.