Birdball: No. 23 Eags Steal One From No. 6 UNC.
By: Luke Ballard
Per BCBirdball on X.
The Boston College Eagles (22–11–0, 9–6–0 Atlantic Coast Conference) grabbed one game from the No. 6 University of North Carolina Tar Heels (27–5–1, ACC 11–4–0), as they continued their hot streak.
Despite dropping two games on the weekend, the Eagles looked strong against yet another top-10 opponent; this time on the road. They took game one in a controlling fashion, winning 6–1, however, UNC struck back by winning the next two games, 5–2 and 8–7.
The Eagles continue to hang around the polls, as they enter this upcoming week as D1Baseball’s No. 23-ranked team in the nation. This weekend series showed that the Eagles are more than capable of competing with top national and ACC programs. In what easily could have been a 2–1 series win, with Sunday’s close game, Birdball will look to keep its momentum as they host Virginia Tech and Duke at home over the next two weekends.
It was A.J. Colarusso and Caesar Gonzalez again for the Eagles in game one. Colarusso pitched six innings, recording seven strikeouts and allowing just one run. Gonzalez pitched the next three innings, recorded the save, allowed no runs, and struck out five.
BC’s bullpen has continued to show the nation that they are a force to be reckoned with, as they showed just how deep their ranks are against UNC.
Bats were hot for freshman infielder Luke Gallo and catcher Gunnar Johnson as they both recorded four hits over the weekend, playing a central role in BC’s game one win. Gallo has now recorded 25 hits and 15 RBI’s for the Eagles this year, as there seems to be no growing pains for the first-year out of Phillips Academy.
Johnson recorded hit number 18 on the season as the grad-year catcher has proved to be a defensive weapon for the Eagles. With 144 put-outs on the season, Johnson surpassed the 300-mark in an Eagles uniform with 302 at the end of the weekend. Johnson has yet to record any errors on the season, proving why he should be the number one choice to protect the plate for BC.
BC begins Beanpot play against in-state rival UMass tomorrow at 3 pm in Brighton. The Eagles currently lead the way with 15 Beanpot titles, while Northeastern trails with eight. Looking for their first title since 2023, the Eagles seem to be primed for number 16 if they can continue the high-octane game play they’ve put on display this year.