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We could get used to this.
Last season, the Boston College baseball team played only eight one-run ballgames. They won only three of those. But they held off a late-inning charge by the Central Michigan Chippewas on Friday afternoon to win their first one-run ballgame of the year, 5-4.
BC and CMU played the first four innings scoreless before the Eagles broke through in the top of the fifth. John Hennessy led off the inning with a walk, advancing to second on a one-out single by freshman Johnny Adams. Logan Hoggarth singled to the right side, scoring Hennessy from second and giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead. Nick Sciortino and Joe Cronin both were retired to end the threat.
The Birdballers increased that lead with another score in the top of the sixth. As they did in the fifth, BC led off the inning with a walk, this time to Tom Bourdon. He advanced to second when Gabriel Hernandez sacrificed him over via a bunt. That set up Chris Shaw, who drilled one to right center for a double, scoring Bourdon. Shaw found himself on third one batter later, but Geoffrey Murphy grounded out for the third out.
Up 2-0, Boston College continued to pour in a run per inning in the seventh to take command of the game and build insurance. It happened almost immediately when Adams doubled to left and Hoggarth doubled him in to lead off the inning. Though BC got nothing more, the Eagles took a 3-0 lead into the stretch with the game squarely in command.
That's when Central Michigan's bats woke up. Code Leichman homered to right off starter John Gorman to score the Chippewas' first run and cut the lead to 3-1. They scored a second run in the eighth off reliever John Nicklas to cut the lead to one heading into the ninth.
BC got two in the top of the ninth, though, to pad their lead and shut the door on CMU. After two quick outs to start the inning, Sciortino singled and Cronin walked. With two on and two out, Bourdon delivered the knockout punch with a two-RBI double down the right field line. Hernandez singled him over to third, but both were stranded on the corners when Shaw struck out swining.
Jesse Adams, who came in with two outs in the eighth, gave up a two-RBI single in the ninth but managed to pitch out of a jam and record his second save of the season.
Gorman picked up his second win of the season to improve to 2-1 on the year. He finished with one run allowed on three hits over seven innings pitched, striking out five and not walking anyone. Nicklas came in for the eighth and got through two-thirds of an inning, giving up one run on two hits. He struck out one before Adams threw the final 1.1 innings pitched.
For CMU, Jordan Foley threw 6.2 innings pitched, giving up three runs on seven hits to absorb the loss. BC improved to 5-3 with the win, while CMU fell to 2-7. The Eagles also picked up a win to kick off the Snowbird Classic at North Charlotte Regional Park in the Gulf Coast city of Port Charlotte, FL. BC is back at it on Saturday afternoon against the Villanova Wildcats at noon.
For postgame reaction, check below!
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Gorman & Bourdon After Central Michigan Win (via Bird Ball)