BC tops Northeastern, Wins Beanpot Consolation
By JD Biagioni
Boston College capitalized on Northeastern errors with aggressive base running and timely hitting to win the Beanpot consolation game 5-3.
As per usual, this game, along with the following championship game between UMass and Harvard, took place at historic Fenway Park. All proceeds from the game went to the Pete Frates #3 Fund for ALS research.
The matchup featured the two teams typically known for playing the Boston Red Sox in Spring Training, BC and NU, so it was only fitting that the two squared off at Fenway.
Both teams came into the game struggling to find for consistent weekday pitching. But the Eagles and Huskies received solid outings from their respective starters, Matt Gill and Brandon Dufault. Each pitcher went two innings and they combined to allow 1 run. After entering the game with an ERA over 8.00, Dufault was particularly strong, facing the minimum through two, and retiring the six Eagles on just 18 pitches.
Northeastern got on the board first in the bottom half of the second, when Ryan Solomon bounced a high chopper over Jake Alu’s head and down the left field line for a double, scoring Corey DiLoreto.
The Eagles responded with a pair of two-run innings to mount a 4-1 lead. Interestingly enough, BC only registered one hit in each of the two big innings.
In the fourth, Sal Frelick led things off with a walk and Jack Cunningham walked to put two on with no outs. Ramon Jimenez flew out to right field, advancing Frelick to third. Cody Morissette grounded out but drove in Frelick, and Gian Martellini doubled off the Green Monster to bring in Cunningham.
Two innings later, Northeastern errors contributed to BC scoring two more. Frelick again led off the inning, this time with a routine grounder to second. Frelick’s speed pressured Northeastern second baseman Jake Rosen into hurrying the play, and the ball ultimately ricocheted off his glove. Cunningham hit a ground-rule double into the Huskies bullpen out in right, stopping Frelick at third. Next up, Jimenez hit a fly ball out to right that bounced in and out of Jeff Costello’s glove, loading up the bases on a double and two errors. With the bases loaded and no outs, Morissette launched a fly ball out to the warning track in center. Cam Walsh casually caught the ball and tossed it in to the cutoff man; there was no point in trying to catch the tagging Frelick. Only, Cunningham tagged from second and didn’t stop at third. Coach Gambino waved him home and BC had a sac fly that scored two.
Northeastern recouped the two in the bottom of the sixth, bringing the score to 4-3 on a Rosen double to right. The Huskies had an opportunity to even things in the seventh, but Sean Hughes stranded the speedy Scott Holzwasser at third.
BC tacked on an insurance run in the ninth, and, after battling some command issues, Thomas Lane shut the door on the Huskies to move BC back to .500 on the season.
Next up for the Eagles is a weekend series in Chapel Hill before returning home to take on UMass Lowell next Tuesday.