BC BASEBALL: Stevens Strikes Out Nine in BC’s Win

Freshman Chris Galland put together an afternoon at the plate. He was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and three stolen bases. He was the first Eagle to swipe multiple bases in the same game in 2018. Sophomore Brian Dempsey was 2-for-4 with an RBI. He has a hit in six of BC’s seven games this season.

Every single BC starter logged at least one hit in the game. Six of the nine batters tallied at least one RBI. For the fifth straight game, the Eagles did not record an error.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Boston College 11, Niagara 3
Records: Boston College (4-3) vs. Niagara (1-3)
All-Time Series: BC leads, 3-0
Location: USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, N.C.

BC HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior RHP Jacob Stevens allowed just one hit over seven scoreless innings. He walked four and struck out nine. He did not allow his only hit of the game until the fifth inning. It was the fourth time in his career he threw a career-high seven innings.
• Freshman Chris Galland was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs. He also stole three bases, the first of his career. He is the first Eagle to steal multiple bases in a game in 2018.
• Dempsey tallied two hits, a run and an RBI in the victory. He has at least one hit in six of the Eagles’ seven games this season and in 20 of the last 27 games, he has played in, dating back to last season.
• Senior Jake Palomaki and junior Gian Martellini also drove in two in the game. Catcher Martellini caught one stealing and did not allow a stolen base in the contest.
• All nine starters recorded at least one hit and six tallied at least one RBI on the day.

KEY PLAYS

• The Eagles scored two in the third, one in the fourth and sixth and tacked on seven in the seventh to take a commanding, 11-0 lead.
• Stevens threw seven scoreless innings to keep BC in control.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Eagles got on the board in the third to break the scoreless tie. Palomaki and sophomore Dante Baldelli drew back-to-back walks to start the inning and with one down, Baldelli stole second. Martellini plated both runners with a single to left center.
• BC added a run in the fourth with two down. Galland legged out an infield hit, moved to second on a grounder and stole third. Palomaki doubled to the corner in left to bring him home.
• Dempsey scored one in the sixth to make it a four-run lead. Galland led off the inning with a walk and stole second to move into scoring position. With one down and the hit and run on, Dempsey singled to right to bring in Galland.
• The Eagles broke open the game in the seventh, scoring all seven runs with two outs. With the bases loaded, Galland doubled to left center to score two and a third run came in when left fielder Julian Gallup bobbled the ball. Galland stole third and senior Mitch Bigras followed with a base hit through the right side to plate the freshman. Dempsey hit a high chopper to shallow right to put runners on the corners and Palomaki drove in Bigras with a single to left. A walk loaded the bases and junior Jake Alu singled to bring in Dempsey. A throwing error by shortstop Greg Cullen allowed Palomaki to cross the plate. The Purple Eagles used three different pitchers in the innings.
• Junior RHP Brendan Spagnuolo pitched the ninth for the Eagles after sophomore RHP Matt Gill threw a 123 eighth. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with one out for Niagara. Wyatt Olson grounded out to first to score the Purple Eagles’ first run of the game. Pinch-hitter Michael Gabriele singled to center to plate two more runs before Spagnuolo got a groundout to end the game.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• The Eagles improved to 3-0 all-time against Niagara.
• It marked the fifth straight game the Eagles did not commit an error.
• The Eagles tied a season-high 11 runs on the year. They also recorded 11 in the win over Rutgers in their last outing on Feb. 25.
• BC stole five bases on the day, the most this season.
• The last player to steal three bases in a game was Alu against Villanova on March 5, 2017. The Eagles stole 10 bases in the game, a season high in the ACC.

UP NEXT
The Eagles take on Bryant at noon on Saturday back at the USA Baseball Complex.