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Maselli Plates Tying Runs, BC Falls in Extras

Suozzi launches first career home run

BRIGHTON, Mass. – The Boston College baseball team rallied twice from down five but could not pull out a victory, falling to 17^th-ranked Florida State, 13-12, in 11 innings at the Harrington Athletics Village at Brighton Fields. The Eagles (13-24, 5-14 ACC) scored five runs in the final two innings to force extras against the Seminoles (27-12, 9-9 ACC) and had the winning run on base in the 11^th but couldn’t come up with the win.

Senior Anthony Maselli came off the bench to log a career-high three hits. He drove in three runs, including the tying runs in the ninth to force extras. Sophomore Jack Cunningham tied his career highs with three hits and four RBIs while classmate Joe Suozzi launched his first career home run and scored a team season-high four runs.

Junior RHP Jacob Stevens started his 40^th career game in the Maroon and Gold, sitting in the No. 1 spot in BC record books.

BC and FSU will play game two at Fenway Park on Saturday at 3 p.m. in BC’s Seventh Annual ALS Awareness Game. Tickets are $10 general admission and benefit the Pete Frates Home Health Initiative.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 17 Florida State 13, Boston College 12 (11 innings)
Records: Florida State (27-12, 9-9 ACC) at Boston College (13-24, 5-14 ACC)
Location: Harrington Athletics Village at the Brighton Fields in Brighton, Mass.
Series: FSU leads the series, 1-0

BC HIGHLIGHTS

Senior Anthony Maselli came off the bench to record a career-high three hits on a 3-for-4 night with three RBIs. He drove in the game-tying runs in the ninth to force extra innings.
Sophomore Jack Cunningham tied his career highs with three hits and four RBIs. He has at least one hit and one RBI in the last four games.
Sophomore Joe Suozzi launched his first career home run with a solo shot in the sixth. He scored a career-high four times, the most for any BC player this season.
Senior Jake Palomaki tallied a hit, run and sacrifice fly. He has reached base in 33 of the Eagles’ 37 games this season with a hit in 25 of them.
Freshman Chris Galland recorded two hits and two runs. He has reached base in 12 straight games, the longest current streak for any Eagle.
Sophomore Jake Goodreau has three doubles in the last two games.

KEY PLAYS

Down two in the ninth, the Eagles forced extras with a two-run double by Maselli.
The Seminoles scored three runs in the 11^th off junior RHP Thomas Lane. BC scored two in the bottom of the inning and had the winning run on first but LHP Clayton Kwiatkowski got a fly ball to hold onto the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Eagles struck first, scoring a run in their first at bat. Cunningham and junior Gian Martellini drew back-to-back, two-out walks and Goodreau laced one down the first-base line to bring in Cunningham.
The Seminoles scored three in the third to take the lead. Jackson Lueck hit a one-out, two-run a home run over the right-field wall to give FSU a lead. It was just the second home run allowed by junior right-handed starter Jacob Stevens this season. Rhett Aplin followed with a double and scored on a single by Drew Mendoza.
Florida State scored five in the fifth to take an 8-1 lead. The Noles loaded the bases on a double, infield single and walk before junior LHP Zach Stromberg came into the game. He walked the first batter he faced to bring in a run. Steven Wells followed with a single off the wall in left center to score two more. Rafael Bournigal laid down a sacrifice bunt but Stromberg’s throw was high, allowing two runs in.
BC got one back in the bottom of the inning. Palomaki led off with a single up the middle and Galland reached on catcher’s interference. Cunningham grounded to second and FSU shortstop Mike Salvatore’s throw to first was high, allowing Palomaki to score from second.
Suozzi launched one to the deepest part of the ball park – over the wall in centerfield – to make it an 8-3 game in the sixth.
FSU scored two in the seventh with junior RHP John Witkowski on the mound. Wells and Bournigal knocked back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. Witkowski got the first out with a strikeout before Salvatore recorded an RBI groundout. Bournigal moved to third on a passed ball and Lueck drove him in with a hit up the middle.
The Eagles got the runs back in the bottom of the inning to make it a 10-5 game. Palomaki landed on second after a throwing error by third baseman Mendoza. Galland followed with a sky-high ball that fell in between FSU fielders for a double. Cunningham knocked one to center to plate both runners.
BC added three more in the eighth to make it a two-run game. With one out, Suozzi was hit by a pitch and Maselli singled to put runners on the corners. Palomaki hit a fly ball to right, allowing Suozzi to tag up. Galland followed with a single and Cunningham laced one to right to make it 10-8.
The Eagles tied the game in the ninth to force extras. Junior Jake Alu was hit by a pitch and new pitcher RHP Conor Grady walked Suozzi. Maselli drove both in with a double smoked to center.
Florida State scored three in the 11^th with Lane on the hill. Two walks and a fielding error loaded the bases and Bournigal drew a full-count walk to break the tie. Cobi Johnson followed with a single through the left side to play another run. The first out came on a chopper to short that Palomaki threw home for a force. Lueck hit a deep fly ball for a sac fly to make it 13-10 before Lane got a grounder to end the inning.
BC had a chance in the bottom of the inning. Alu doubled to right and advanced to third when right fielder Wells didn’t come up with it cleanly. Suozzi walked to put runners on the corners and Maselli singled to right to plate Alu. Kwiatkowski came into the game with an 0-2 count and Palomaki moved the runners up with a sac bunt. With two outs, Cunningham hit one back at Kwiatkowski, allowing Maselli to score. Kwiatkowski got a fly ball to right to end the game.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Florida State improves to 32-5 all-time against BC and 15-2 on the Eagles’ home turf. The Seminoles have won the last three meetings between the two squads.
The 11-inning contest marked the first extra-inning game between BC and FSU.
The Eagles logged double-digit hits for the 19^th time in 2018.
Junior RHP Jacob Stevens started his 40^th career game, which tops BC record books.
Sophomore Brian Dempsey was 1-for-2 and has now reached base in 33 of the Eagles’ 37 games this season.
Suozzi was the first BC player to record four runs in a game since Donovan Casey (2015-17) did so in a 13-1 win over Massachusetts on March 29, 2017.
The Eagles are 0-5 in extra-inning contests in 2018.
Eight of the nine BC starts logged at least one hit and nine of the 10 players tallied knocks.

NEXT UP
The Eagles and Seminoles play at Fenway Park on Saturday at 3 p.m. in BC’s Seventh Annual ALS Awareness Game. Tickets are $10 general admission and benefit the Pete Frates Home Health Initiative. They can be purchased at the gate or by visiting www.redsox.com/alsgame. The game will also on ESPNU and the WatchESPN app.