BC BASEBALL: Wake takes Rubber Match from Eagles 5-2

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BC BASEBALL Leaves 12 on in Rubber Match Loss at No. 17 Wake Forest
Palomaki draws career-high four walks to tie for first all-time in BC history

Box Score (PDF) | Postgame Interview (VIDEO)

GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 17 Wake Forest 5, Boston College 2
Records: Boston College (19-26, 8-19 ACC) at Wake Forest (32-14, 15-9 ACC)
Location: David E. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Series: Wake wins the series, 2-1

BC HIGHLIGHTS

Junior Jake Palomaki drew a career-high four walks – totaling eight bases on balls in the series – to bring his career total to 114, tying with Joe Cronin for first all-time in BC record books.

Sophomore Gian Martellini led the way for the Eagles with a 2-for-3 day, extending his career-long hit streak to 12 games – the longest of the season for any BC player and tied for 11^th in BC record books – and has at least one knock in 37 of the 44 games played this season. He tallied the only BC RBI of the day and threw out a runner trying to steal in the fourth inning.

Junior Donovan Casey drew three walks. He pitched two scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit and striking out three.

Junior right-handed starter Brian Rapp went six innings, allowed eight hits, five runs – four earned – just two walks and struck out seven, including three in a row in the sixth.

Sophomore Jake Alu tallied a hit in the game. He has a hit in 12 of the last 15 games.

KEY PLAYS

The Eagles, trailing by three, loaded the bases in the ninth but closer RHP Griffin Roberts got Alu swinging to end the game and give Wake the series.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Demon Deacons were the first to get on the board in the second, after the Eagles loaded the bases in the top of the inning with no outs but could not push across a run. With two down, Johnny Aiello singled through the left side and moved to second on a wild pitch. After Rapp issued a walk, Aiello caught off between second and third, but after the throw down to second, Palomaki throw to third skipped into the dugout, allowing a run in. With runners on the corners, Rapp forced a grounder to short to end the inning.

Wake added two more in the third to take a three-run lead. Jonathan Pryor led off with a solo shot over the right-center wall for the first run of the inning. With one down, Stuart Fairchild singled, stole second and moved to third on a balk. Rapp got the second out looking before Ben Breazeale hit a fly ball to left center, which got lost in the sun, allowing Fairchild to score. Rapp ended the inning with another K.

The Demon Deacons made it 4-0 in the fifth as Jake Mueller doubled with one down and scored on single by Fairchild. Rapp forced back-to-back fly balls to end the inning.

BC scored its first two runs in the seventh and chased starter Connor Johnstone from the game. Senior Johnny Adams drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a grounder to third. Palomaki reached on his third walk of the day. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and Adams scored when the catcher overthrew the second-base bag. Casey battled new pitcher RHP Colin Peluse for 11 pitches, fouling off six pitches, before Wake went to the bullpen for RHP Griffin Roberts in the middle of the at bat on a full count. Senior Michael Strem singled to load the bases and Roberts hit Martellini to bring a run. A groundout to third ended the BC scoring threat.

Wake made it a 5-2 game in the bottom of the inning. With a runner on first and Casey on the hill, Mueller hit a high fly ball down the right-field line. Freshman Jack Cunningham made a diving attempt, but the ball bounced just fair, putting runners on second and third. Fairchild hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate a run. After an intentional walk to put runners on the corners, Casey got a lineout to left to end the inning.

Casey struck out the side in the eighth and BC loaded the bases on three walks in the top of the ninth, but could not plate any runs.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

The Eagles move to 17-19 all-time against the Demon Deacons.

BC moves to 2-13 against top-25 teams in 2017.

For the fifth time this season, BC drew at least nine walks. It marked the first loss when recording that many walks on the day.

The Eagles left a season-high 12 runners on base. They left the bases loaded three times in the game.

UP NEXT
The Eagles host Quinnipiac on Saturday, May 13 at 4 p.m. to start a three-game, non-conference set.

-BC-