BC BASEBALL: Eagles Rally To Beat Harvard 8-5

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BC BASEBALL: Seventh-Inning Rally Propels Eagles to Victory Over Harvard
Casey and Bigras shine on the mound and at the plate

Box Score (PDF) | Postgame Interviews (VIDEO)

GAME INFORMATION

Score: Boston College 8, Harvard 5
Records: Harvard (12-16) at Boston College (10-20)
Location: Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Commander Shea Field in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

BC HIGHLIGHTS

Junior Mitch Bigras led the way for the Eagles with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, driving in two runs. He also recorded his first career save by pitching the ninth. He struck out one.

Junior Donovan Casey picked up his second win, throwing two innings of relief, allowing just one hit and striking out a career-high four. He was 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk and two runs scored.

Sophomore Gian Martellini also drove in two runs for the Eagles on a 1-for-3 day with two runs and a double.

Freshman Jacob Yish recorded a hit in the victory. He has a hit in three of the last four games.

The Eagles turned a triple play in the fifth inning. It marked the first triple play for the BC defense in 17 years. The last one turned was on March 7, 2000 in a 10-2 victory over Valparaiso.

KEY PLAYS

With the Eagles trailing by one in the seventh, senior Johnny Adams tied the game with an infield hit and Casey scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

Bigras plated two insurance runs in the same inning with a two-RBI single.

Casey and Bigras allowed just two walks in the eighth and ninth to preserve the lead.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Harvard jumped out to a 1-0 lead off sophomore RHP Jacob Stevens in the first. With one down, the Crimson logged back-to-back hits. Two wild pitches moved both into scoring position and Patrick McColl plated the first run of the game with a grounder to second. Stevens ended the inning with a groundout to third.

BC scored two in the second to go on top. Casey drew a four-pitch walk and Adams singled up the middle. A double steal advanced both runners up 90 feet and senior Michael Strem plated Casey with a groundout to short. Adams landed on third on the play and Martellini drove him in with a sac fly to left.

The Crimson took the lead in the fourth with sophomore RHP Jack Nelson on the mound. Devan Peterson led off with a walk and moved to second on a groundout. Josh Ellis hit a grounder to short, which was bobbled by Adams, allowing Peterson to score. With two outs, Patrick Robinson hit a home run over the right-field wall to make it a 4-2 game.

The Eagles turned the first triple play in 17 years in the top of the fifth. New BC pitcher sophomore RHP John Witkowski walked Jake Suddleson and hit a batter to put two on but Jake Forte grounded on to short and the Eagles got two on the 643 double play. Suddleson was caught off the bag at third and first baseman Bigras fired over. Catcher Martellini was able to make the tag to complete the triple play.

Harvard added a run in the sixth to take a 5-2 lead. Peterson led off with a walk and moved to second on a sac bunt. Witkowski got a strikeout swinging for the second out but Quinn Hoffman singled to center to plate Peterson before a groundout ended the inning.

BC made it a one-run game in the sixth. Strem led off with a double and Martellini drove him in with a single to left center.

The Eagles took the lead in the seventh, scoring four runs on four hits and an error. Freshman Brian Dempsey started things with a bunt single for a hit. Sophomore Dominic Hardaway followed by laying down a bunt to move Dempsey over, but pitcher JT Bernard couldn’t pick up the ball, allowing both runners to reach. Casey singled to right to load the bases. Adams hit a rocket at the shortstop, who fell down on the play, allowing Dempsey to score the tying run. Casey scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and Bigras knocked in two more with a single to left center. He was the third out trying to stretch it into a double.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Strem’s double in the sixth brought his career total to 55, which sits second all-time in BC record books.

The Eagles played in front of their largest crowd of the season (1,030).

BC improves to 43-33 in the all-time series with Harvard, 18-18 at home. The Eagles have won the last three meetings between the two schools and will face off again on Wednesday, April 19 in the Beanpot Championship at Fenway Park.

The Eagles logged 10 hits in the game. They are 6-1 when recorded double-digits knocks in 2017.

UP NEXT
The Eagles travel to Durham, N.C., for a three-game set with Duke beginning on Friday, April 14 at 6 p.m. All three games will be on the ACC Network Extra.

-BC-