BC BASEBALL Falls to Minnesota in Port Charlotte

Box Score (PDF)

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The Boston College baseball team dropped the first game at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla., 14-1, to Minnesota on Friday afternoon. The Gophers (3-2) kept the Eagles (2-2) off the scoreboard for much of the game and allowed just three BC hits.

Senior Jake Palomaki, junior Gian Martellini and sophomore Jack Cunningham were the only Eagles to tally hits in the game. Freshman Reyce Curnane tallied his first collegiate RBI in the bottom of the ninth, plating the only BC run of the afternoon.

Junior starter RHP Jacob Stevens threw only 1.1 innings of relief, allowing six hits, five runs with two strikeouts. Redshirt freshman LHP Joey Walsh pitched 2.2 innings of relief and allowed three hits, one unearned run, one walk and one K.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Minnesota 14, Boston College 1
Records: Minnesota (3-2) vs. Boston College (2-2)
All-Time Series: Minnesota leads, 1-0
Location: North Regional Park in Port Charlotte, Fla.

BC HIGHLIGHTS

• Walsh threw 2.2 innings of relief, allowing one unearned run, three hits, one walk and struck out one.
• Palomaki was 1-for-3 with a walk. He has reached base safely 285 times in his career, 10^th in BC record books.
• Freshman RHP Jack Hodgson threw a 123 sixth.
• Curnane recorded his first career RBI in the ninth with a sac fly in the ninth.
• Cunningham and Martellini were the other Eagles to tally hits in the contest.

KEY PLAYS

• The Gophers broke the game open with a four-run second, chasing Stevens from the game and building a 5-0 lead the Eagles could not overcome.
• The Minnesota pitching staff held the BC bats at bay, allowing just three hits and one run on the day.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Minnesota struck first, scoring a run in its first at bat. With one down, back-to-back singles put runners on the corners and Tobey Hanson plated a run with a groundout to second.
• The Gophers added four in the second and chased Stevens from the game. Back-to-back base hits put Minnesota runners on the corners again before Stevens tallied his second strikeout of the game. A single to right plated one run and a base hit to center scored another. With runners on second and third, Terrin Vavra hit a hard chopper to short, scoring a third run. Walsh relieved Stevens and the fourth run came in on a sac fly by Micah Coffey.
• Minnesota scored one in the fourth as Ben Mezzenga led off with a bunt single, moved to second on a passed ball and to third on a wild pitch. Luke Pettersen hit a fast-falling liner to left, which sophomore Jacob Yish made a diving catch on, allowing Mezzenga to tag up. After a base hit, the Eagles turned a 463 double play to end the inning.
• The Gophers added three more in the fifth with junior RHP John Witkowski on the mound. Hanson doubled to start the inning and with runners on the corners, Alex Boxwell hit a sac fly to score Hanson. Cole McDevitt then homered over the left-field fence to make it 9-0.
• Junior RHP Brendan Spagnuolo threw a perfect seventh but couldn’t come out of the eighth unscathed. Two walks and single loaded the bases and he hit Vavra to bring in a run. A wild pitch scored another run before Coffey hit a sac fly to make it 12-0. Junior RHP Jack Nelson came on in relief and got a fly ball for the second out, allowing another run in on the tag up before a third fly out ended the inning.
• Sophomore RHP Matt Gill threw the top of the ninth and gave up one run to the Gophers. With runners on second and third after a single, walk and groundout, Mezzenga hit a fly ball to center to plate a run on the Gophers’ sixth sacrifice fly of the game. Gill got a grounder to short to end the inning.
• The Eagles’ only run came in the bottom of the ninth. BC loaded the bases on a hit by pitch, fielder’s choice and walk. With new pitcher RHP Patrick Fredrickson in the game, Curnane flew out to left, allowing freshman Chris Galland to tag up.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
• The Eagles are now 14-7 at the Snowbird Classic in the five years BC has attended.
• Spagnuolo made his debut in Maroon and Gold. He transferred from Vanderbilt after the 2016 season.
• Freshmen Brandon Stone and Curnane and sophomore Joe Suozzi made their first-ever appearance for the Eagles.
• Redshirt sophomore Connor Bacon made his first appearance since 2016 as he was injured in 2017.

UP NEXT
The Eagles return to North Regional Park for the second game of the Snowbird Classic on Saturday at noon. when they face Indiana.