Northeastern Beats BC In Beanpot Consolation Game 4-3

Two years ago, Boston College's team lost to Harvard, 5-2, in the first round of the Baseball Beanpot.  When the consolation game against UMass was postponed and never made up, the Eagles backdoored their way into their first ever last place finish in the tournament that was started in 1990.  It was Mike Gambino's second year on the job.

Four years in the Gambino era, Boston College is officially Beanpot cellar dwellars.  Playing on zero days rest after a three game series at North Carolina State, the Eagles mustered just seven hits and stranded eight runners as they lost to the Northeastern Huskies, 4-3, at Parsons Field on Monday.  It was the fifth game in the last six days for BC with only one day off for travel down to Raleigh.  Northeastern also played their fourth game in as many days, but it was their fourth straight on the Friedman Diamond.

Northeastern scored a run in the bottom of the first inning off of BC starter Eric Stevens.  Connor Lyons led off the Huskies offensive game with a single, stealing second and scoring on a Jason Vosler single.

BC tied the game in the third to tie things up at 1-1.  After a beanball and a couple of walks, the Eagles found themselves with bases full of runners and one out.  Chris Shaw, named ACC Player of the Week earlier in the day, singled to the right side, continuing a now-six game hitting streak and plating runner Nick Colucci.  That drew a quick hook out of Northeastern, who pulled starter Isaac Lippert in favor of Nick Cubarney.  Cubarney induced a double play to end the inning.

It took Northeastern approximately less than a half inning to take the lead to stay. Josh Treff led off with a double, then broke one of base running's cardinal rules by running before seeing the play Blake Butera was going to make on a groundball.  Butera threw to third to retire Treff, 4-5, for the first out.  Stevens couldn't capitalize with the lead runner retired, though, and summarily walked the bases loaded.

That brought up Brad Burcroff, who promptly destroyed a pitch to the deepest part of the ballpark.  It missed being a homer, but it brought three runs home.  Burcroff rounded third and tried to score an inside-the-park grand slam, but he was gunned down at the plate by Joe Cronin (making a relay throw from Tom Bourdon that was on the money), ending the inning but counting the three runs for a 4-1 Northeastern lead.

BC showed heart in a comeback attempt, hitting two homers.  One came from John Hennessy and one came from Shaw, and it marked the first time in a year that the Eagles hit two longballs in a single game.  It wasn't enough, though, as Northeastern's bullpen teamed up to shut down BC the rest of the way and preserve a 4-3 victory.

Stevens picked up the loss, dropping him to 0-4 on the season and continuing a losing stretch for him dating back over a full two years.  He allowed all four runs on five hits, but he pitched well given the thin BC bullpen.  Stevens struck out five and only walked two.  Nick Poore pitched a one-hit seventh inning, while John Nicklas pitched a perfect eighth.  BC fell to 14-26 overall on the year, while the Huskies improved to 16-21.

Cubarney went 3.2 innings in relief to pick up the victory, and redshirt freshman Mike Fitzgerald pitched three innings for an extended save for Northeastern.

Butera and Shaw did extend hitting streaks for BC (eight and six, respectively), and Cronin and Bourdon both had two-hit ballgames.  Michael Strem went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.  For the Huskies, Lyons went 1-for-3 with two runs scored.

The Eagles return to action on Wednesday when they play St. John's at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Connecticut.  First pitch is set for 6 PM.