BC BASEBALL: Sweep of Notre Dame Punches Ticket To Postseason

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BC BASEBALL Sweeps Notre Dame to Punch Ticket to Postseason
Adams draws a bases-loaded walk in the eighth to bring in go-ahead run

LINKS:

Box Score (PDF)

Photo Gallery

Postgame Interviews (VIDEO)

Shea Field Ceremonies (VIDEO)

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Boston College 8, Notre Dame 7
Records: Notre Dame (26-30, 10-20 ACC) at Boston College (25-26, 11-19 ACC)
Location: Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Commander Shea Field in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Series: BC sweeps the series, 3-0

BC HIGHLIGHTS

Junior Donovan Casey picked up his second straight win and third in four games, throwing the final two innings, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out one. He went 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and two walks. He has reached base safely in the last 12 games and has a hit in the last seven.

Sophomore Gian Martellini was also 2-for-3 with two runs and two walks. He has at least one hit in 41 of the 50 games played this season.

Seniors Michael Strem and Johnny Adams both drove in two runs on Senior Day. Strem has reached base safely 293 times in his career, ninth all-time in BC record books. Adams recorded his first triple of the season and has reached base safely in the last 12 games, a new season high.

Junior Mitch Bigras was 1-for-1 with a run scored, three walks and two RBIs.

Sophomore Jake Alu was 1-for-2 with a run, walk and RBI. He has a hit in 18 of the last 21 games and tied his career-long hit streak with at least one in the last eight games.

KEY PLAYS

The Eagles trailed by four midway through the fifth, but they tallied a run in the fifth, sixth and two in the seventh to tie the game.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth, Adams drew a walk off RHP Matt Vierling to put BC on top.

Casey kept the Irish off the scoreboard in the ninth, stranding two baserunners to seal the sweep.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Irish struck first, scoring two in the first inning. Jake Johnson and Ryan Lidge both drew walks off junior right-handed starter Brian Rapp and with two down, Cole Daily plated Johnson with a single to right center. Lidge scored on a wild pitch before Rapp ended the inning with a fly ball.

The Eagles got one back in the second. Martellini led off with a single to center, advanced to second on a sac bunt by Alu and to third on a wild pitch. Bigras plated him with a sac fly to right field.

Notre took a 3-1 lead in the third, tallying back to back-to-back, one-out hit and a sac fly by Lidge. Rapp stranded the runner on second with another fly out.

BC tied the game in the third with two outs. Junior Jake Palomaki drew a walk and Casey doubled to put runners on the second and third. Strem singled off new pitcher RHP Evy Ruibal to make it a 3-3 game.

ND retook the lead the following inning, scoring two. Rapp hit Eric Gilgenbach to start the inning and he moved to second on a grounder and to third on a wild pitch. Eric Feliz hit a sac fly to bring him in. Jake Shepski and Nick Podkul hit back-to-back bunt singles to put two on and Johnson plated one with a single to left center.

The Irish added two more in the fifth and chased Rapp from the game. The righty surrendered back-to-back walks before junior LHP Carmen Giampetruzzi came on in relief. A sac bunt moved the runners into scoring position and Daniel Jung scored one with a grounder to short. Feliz singled to center to plate another before Giampetruzzi fielded an attempted bunt for a hit to get out of the inning.

BC cut the lead to two, scoring a run in the fifth and one in the sixth. In in the fifth, they loaded the bases on two walks and a base hit by Martellini. Alu made it a 7-4 games with a sac fly to center. In the sixth, Bigras led off with a walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout. Freshman Jacob Yish brought him home on a grounder to first.

The Eagles scored two in the eighth to tie the game at seven. Vierling walked Martellini to start the inning and Alu followed with a base hit to right. Both runners moved into scoring position on a passed ball and Bigras plated Martellini with a single to right. He was tagged out trying to advance on the throw. Adams tripled to the wall in left center to allow Alu to cross the plate.

BC took the 8-7 lead in the eighth as Casey started the inning with an infield single and Strem moved him to second with a sac bunt. Martellini walked to put two on. With two down, Bigras drew his third walk of the day to load the bases. Adams’ patience at the plate paid off as he drew a 3-1 walk to bring in Casey as the winning run. The Irish went to the bullpen for RHP Anthony Holubecki, who ended the inning with a strikeout.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

The BC reliving combination of Giampetruzzi, senior RHP Luke Fernandes and Casey did not allow a run for the final five innings of the game. Giampetruzzi gave up just one hit while Fernandes threw a 123 seventh.

BC ends the season 12-8 at home. The Eagles won the final six games, the longest winning streak of the season.

For the first time ever, the Eagles swept the Irish. They improved to 6-11 at home against the Irish, winning the last four in Chestnut Hill. They are now 5-7 in ACC games and 13-28 in the all-time series.

The Eagles are 12-4 when recording double-digit hits.

The Eagles did not record an error for the 22^nd time in 2017. The team’s .974 fielding percentage is currently fourth all-time in BC record books.

The Eagles drew 12 walks on the day, a season high.

BC trailed in all three games against Notre Dame in the series, coming back to win in all three contests. The Eagles were down by two in game one, down by four twice in games two and trailed by four in game three. Today’s win marked the fifth time in 2017 BC earned a victory after a being tied through seven (5-1).

ACC TOURNAMENT

For the second straight year and fourth time overall, the Eagles will play in the ACC Baseball Championship.

It is the second time under seventh-year head coach Mike Gambino.

The Eagles are 3-4 in the postseason conference tournament and 0-1 under Gambino.

BC is the 11^th seed, finishing ahead of Notre Dame. Seventh-seed NC State is also BC’s pool, along with either North Carolina or Louisville, depending on game results.

UP NEXT
The Eagles will be the Pool B in the ACC Baseball Championships at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, Ky. Pool play starts on Tuesday, May 23.

Here are the photos and video from the final game at Shea Field at Boston College:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzDdoNAh9ZerXzMxcklZcXUxV0E?usp=sharing

Please credit John Quackenbos/BC Athletics on all photos.

Pregame: All former players in attendance were welcomed onto the field. Longtime BC head coach Eddie Pellagrini’s brother, Al, and daughter, Anne, threw out the first pitch (to senior captains Bobby Skogsbergh #26 and Johnny Adams #8 – Walpole, Mass.)

Recognition of the BC head coaches in attendance:

Left to Right – Current BC head coach Mike Gambino, Al Pellagrini, former BC head coach Richard “Moe” Maloney (1989-98), former BC head coach (2007-10) and current Notre Dame head coach Mik Aoki and Anne Pellagrini

Postgame: Former BC battery mates Jerry Greely (gold hat) and Bob DeFelice threw the last pitch at Shea Field. They were the battery for the first game played on May 21, 1961 and threw the very first pitch. The Eagles went on to defeat St. Peter’s, 7-0. Greely allowed just three hits and struck out six in the victory.

Game Info:

Final attendance: 2,313

Eagles defeated Notre Dame, 8-7, to sweep the series and advance to the ACC Tournament for the fourth time in program history, second straight year.