Alu Hits a Grand Slam but BC Loses Lead to Wofford

Box Score (PDF)

Greenville, S.C. – The Boston College baseball team fell, 12-10, to Wofford on Wednesday afternoon at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. The Eagles (5-6) held a six-run lead after five innings, but the Terriers (7-6) scored eight off four BC pitchers in the sixth to come from behind to win.

Senior Jake Palomaki led the Eagles at the plate for the second straight game, going 4-for-5 with a run and RBI. He stole two bases to move into fourth place in BC record books with 44 in his career. Junior Jake Alu hit his first career grand slam – and the first of the season for the Eagles – in the first inning, helping BC jump out to a 7-0 lead.

Freshman Chris Galland continues to stay hot, going 3-for-4 and extending his hit streak to seven games, the longest of the season for BC. In his six career starts, he is 14-for-23 with 11 runs, eight RBIs, and a team-high seven stolen bases.

BC opens Atlantic Coast Conference play on Friday, March 9 at No. 22 NC State.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Wofford 12, Boston College 10
Records: Boston College (5-6) vs. Wofford (7-6)
All-Time Series: Wofford leads the series, 2-0
Location: Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.

BC HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior Jake Palomaki led the way for the Eagles for the second straight game, going 4-for-5 with a run, RBI, two stolen bases and two doubles. He extended his hit streak to five games. His 44 career stolen bases are fourth in BC record books and he has reached base safely 300 times, good to tie for seventh all-time.
• Junior Jake Alu hit the Eagles’ first grand slam of 2018 in the first inning. It was the first of his career. He recorded a career-high four RBIs as well.
• Freshman Chris Galland was 3-for-4, extending his career-long his stream to seven games – the longest of the season for the Eagles. In his six career starts, he is 14-for-23 with 11 runs, eight RBIs, and seven stolen bases.
• Sophomore Brian Dempsey has a hit in nine of the Eagles’ 11 games this season and one in 23 of the last 31 games played, dating back to last season.
• Sophomore Jack Cunningham extended his hit streak to career-long six games with an RBI double.

KEY PLAY

• The Eagles built a 10-4 lead after three innings, but the Terriers scored eight runs off four different pitchers in the sixth inning to come from behind to earn the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Eagles jumped out to a commanding, 7-0 lead in the first as they batted around in the order. With the bases loaded and one down, sophomore Jacob Yish singled down the first-base line to score the first run of the game. Alu launched one down the right-field line that was initially called foul, but the umpires reversed the call and the New Jersey native had his first career grand slam to put BC up, 5-0. Galland followed with a walk and Cunningham drove him in with a double to the corner in left. Dempsey put runners on the corners with a base hit to right and Palomaki logged his second hit of the inning with single to center, scoring Cunningham.
• The Terriers scored two off junior starter RHP Jack Nelson in the bottom of the inning. Two reached on singles and with two outs, Max McDougald doubled to left to plate both runners. He was gunned down trying to stretch it into a triple to end the inning.
• BC added two in the second to take a 9-2 lead. Redshirt junior Scott Braren led off the inning with a double to right and landed on third after right fielder Mack Nathanson bobbled the ball. He came home on a chopper to third that was misthrown. Alu singled and scored from second on a base hit through the right side by Galland.
• The Eagles added to their total in the third with new pitcher LHP Jake Dippold on the mound. Sophomore Dante Baldelli doubled to left and scored on a two-out single up the middle by Braren.
• Wofford got two back in the bottom of the frame to make it a 10-4 game. Nelson allowed a lead-off single and with two down, Cody Miller hit a home run over the replica Green Monster in left.
• The Terriers scored eight in the sixth off four different BC pitchers to take the lead. With one down, Nelson hit a batter and walked one to put two on. Freshman LHP Will Hesslink came into the game and with the bases loaded, he got the second out swinging before giving up a bases-clearing double to Alex Malsch. Brett Rodriguez followed with a single to center to make it 10-8. A walk put two on and junior RHP Brendan Spagnuolo came into the game. He gave up a three-run homer to Nathanson to give Wofford the lead. An infield single and throwing error put a runner at second and McDougald hit a routine fly ball to right, which Yish dropped, allowing the eighth run of the inning to score. Junior LHP Zach Stromberg replaced Spagnuolo and got a strikeout to end the inning

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• It was just the second meeting between the two schools. Wofford won the 2015 season-opener on its home field.
• Palomaki became the second BC player this season to log two hits in the same inning. Alu completed the feat against Niagara on March 2.
• For the second time in as many games, the Eagles tallied at least 10 hits. They have logged double-digit hits six times in 2018.
• The seven runs in the first inning tied a season high for runs scored in an inning. BC also notched seven in the ninth in the win over Rutgers (Feb. 25) and in the seventh in the victory against Niagara (March 2).
• The six-run comeback was the largest deficit overcome by a BC opponent in 2018.

UP NEXT
The Eagles open Atlantic Coast Conference play at No. 22 NC State on Friday, March 9 with a 3 p.m. game.