BC BASEBALL Opens Brighton with Epic Contest

BRIGHTON, Mass. – The Boston College baseball team hosted Northeastern for the first game on the brand new Brighton Baseball Field and it took more than nine to complete the contest. The Eagles (7-11) fell, 7-4, to the Huskies (11-5) in 18 innings on Tuesday evening in a 5:24 marathon.

The game is believed to be the second longest in BC history. The Eagles and Texas Longhorns set the NCAA record for the longest game in a 25-inning, 3-2 UT win in the Austin Regional of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Senior Jake Palomaki and freshman Chris Galland recorded three hits apiece to lead BC. Four different Eagles recorded eight at-bats in the extra-inning contest.

The Eagles tied the game in the sixth and neither team scored until the 14^th when the Huskies pushed across a run. BC matched it in the bottom of the inning to keep the game rolling. NU scored three runs off sophomore RHP Matt Gill in the top of the 18^th and David Stiehl got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning to preserve the win.

NU’s Charlie McConnell logged the first-ever hit on the new field while Palomaki’s fourth-inning double was the first for the Eagles. The game started with a called strike by junior RHP Jack Nelson.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Northeastern 7, Boston College 4 (18 innings)
Records: Northeastern (11-5) at Boston College (7-11)
Location: Brighton Baseball Field in Brighton, Mass.

BC HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior Jake Palomaki was 3-for-8 with a double, run, RBI and a stolen base. He has reached base safely in the last 13 games. His 48 career stolen bases are third in BC record books and he has reached base safely 319 times, fourth all-time.
• Sophomore Dante Baldelli extended his career-long hit streak to six games with two hits in the game. He also stole two bases, walked and scored a run.
• Sophomore Brian Dempsey was 1-for-4 with three walks and a stolen base. He has a hit in 13 of the Eagles’ 18 games this season and least one in 27 of the last 38 games played, dating back to 2017. He has also reached base safely in the 17 of the 18 games this year.
• Freshman LHP Will Hesslink allowed just two hits over a career-high 4.1 innings pitched. He did not allow a run, walked one and struck out a career-high four.
• Freshman Chris Galland tied for the team lead with three hits on the day. He added to his stolen base total, swiping two in the game to bring it up to an ACC-leading 13.
• Junior Gian Martellini recorded a sac fly while catching all 18 innings. has driven in 11 runs in the last six games. He has recorded eight runners caught stealing this season, leading the ACC.

KEY PLAYS

• Charlie McConnell led off the 18^th with his second triple of the game and Cam Walsh broke the 3-3 tie with a single through the left side. The Huskies managed to tack on two more runs off sophomore RHP Matt Gill to take a three-run lead.
• In the bottom of the inning, BC loaded the bases on two singles and a walk, but RHP David Stiehl forced a fly ball to left to end the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Huskies got on the board in the second as Nolan Lang reached on an error and with two down, McConnell singled to right center to plate the first run of the game.
• The Eagles tied the game in the fourth. Palomaki started it off with a double and landed on third after two NU outfielders collided in left center. With one down, Martellini hit a sac fly to make it a 1-1 game.
• NU regained the lead in the fifth off junior RHP John Witkowski. Scott Holzwasser led off with a double and Jake Farrell plated him with a single through the left side. After another base hit, Farrell moved up on a wild pitch and Zach Perry grounded out to put the Huskies up, 3-1.
• BC made it a one-run game in the bottom of the inning. With one down, Galland reached on a throwing error and stole second. Sophomore Jack Cunningham drove him in with a double to right.
• The Eagles tied the game again in the sixth off LHP Andrew Misiaszek. Baldelli led off with a single up the middle and advanced on a wild pitch. With one down, junior Jake Alu knocked one up the middle to drive in the tying run.
• In the ninth, Mason Koppens beat a throw to first for an infield hit but Hesslink got the first out fielding his position on a sacrifice bunt attempt and recorded the out by getting the lead runner at second. The lefty then forced a 643 double play to end the NU threat.
• BC put two on in the bottom of the ninth but couldn’t push across as run. Galland doubled with one down and the Huskies intentionally walked Dempsey with two outs, but a full-count strikeout looking sent the game to extras.
• With redshirt freshman LHP Joey Walsh on the hill, Max Burt reached on a fielder’s choice int he 14^th with two outs. He moved into scoring position on a hit by pitch and scored on an RBI single by Ian Fair. Walsh got a fly ball to end the inning.
• Palomaki did not let the game end, tying it in the bottom of the inning. Cunningham started it off with a single up the middle. Dempsey moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt and senior Anthony Maselli got him to third on a groundout. Palomaki hit a blooper to right to plate the tying run with two outs.
• Gill pitched three scoreless innings before allowing the winning run in the 18^th. McConnell tripled to the right-field corner to lead off. Walsh knocked one through the left side to score the go-ahead run for NU. With two down, Burt beat the throw on an infield single to put two on and Ryan Soloman singled to right to score an insurance run. After junior LHP Zach Stromberg walked the first batter he faced in relief, the Huskies executed a double steal to take a 7-4 lead.
•  With one out, Alu tallied an infield single to the hole in short and Galland followed with a single up the middle. Dempsey drew a two-out walk to load the bases but Stiehl got Maselli to fly out to left field to allow the Huskies to hold onto the win.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• The 7-4, 18-inning contest marked the first-ever game played on Brighton Baseball Field in Brighton, Mass. McConnell recorded the first-ever hit, a double in the first, and Palomaki recorded the first BC hit, a double in the fourth. Junior RHP Jack Nelson threw a called strike at 2:31 p.m. to start the game.
• The loss was the second straight extra-innings defeat for the Eagles. They lost to No. 21 Virginia, 10-9, on Sunday in 10 innings.
• The 18-inning game is believed to be the second longest game in BC history. The Eagles set the record with Texas for the longest game in NCAA history with a 25-inning game on May 30, 2009, in the Austin Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Texas won the game, 3-2.
• Four BC players logged eight at-bats in the game. The last time Eagles recorded over seven at-bats in a game was when Barry Butera and Mickey Wiswall had 10 apiece in the Texas game.
• McConnell was 5-for-8 in the game. The last opponent to have five hits was Wake Forest’s Nate Mondou on May 6, 2016.
• The Eagles left 14 men on base in the game, including eight in extra innings.
• For the 11^th time this season, the Eagles logged at least 10 hits in a game, including seven of the last nine games.
• BC is 0-8 when making two or more errors in a game.

UP NEXT
The Eagles host Virginia Tech for a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 23 at 4 p.m.