BC Bats Heat Up Despite Cold Temperatures

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Frelick homered and went 3-for-5 with four RBI in 12-3 win

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Freshman right fielder Sal Frelick (Lexington, Mass.)homered and drove in four runs in a 3-for-5 game to lead Boston College baseball to a 12-3 win over Kentucky at Kentucky Proud Park on Wednesday evening with first the first pitch temperature barely scratching 30 degrees. The Eagles move toward ACC play with a 7-4 overall record as the Wildcats dropped to 8-4 in their first loss in their brand-new ballpark.

Boston College left 10 runners on base through the first six innings and after being sat down in order for the first time all game in the seventh the BC bats came through with four two-out runs. Frelick, batting with the bases loaded, hit a grounder deep to first and beat the defender to the bag for an infield single that scored two runs. Junior shortstop Brian Dempsey (Potomac, Md.) then doubled the Eagles’ production in the inning by lifting a two-run triple to the track in left-center.

The Eagles added seven more runs as they batted around in the ninth. Junior designated hitter Joe Suozzi (Glen Cove, N.Y.) singled and freshman second baseman Cody Morissette (Exeter, N.H.) doubled to set the table. BC took advantage of three walks, a hit batter, an error, and two wild pitches as the scoring was capped by a two-run base hit from senior third baseman Jake Alu (Hamilton, N.J.).

As a team, BC totaled 11 hits and 12 walks. Frelick’s three hits led the way and he added a walk on the day. Dempsey and Alu each collected two hits, while Dempsey also walked and was hit by a pitch.

Junior right-handed pitcher Matt Gill (Simsbury, Conn.) threw 19 pitches in a scoreless first inning; his only inning of work in the start. Freshman RHP Joe Mancini(Fairfield, Conn.) was the first reliever for the Eagles and he pitched a team-high three innings. He allowed one run, a solo home run to DH T.J. Collett, on two hits. Senior RHP John Witkowski (Melrose, Mass.) got the win in 1.1 innings of perfect relief with two strikeouts.

DETAILS
Score: Boston College 12, Kentucky 3
Records: Boston College (7-4), Kentucky (8-4)
Location: Kentucky Proud Park (Lexington, Ky.)
Attendance: 2,643*

QUOTEABLES
Mike Gambino, Head Coach:
“I was proud of the boys. Those were tough elements to play in, there’s no two ways about it. It was one of the colder games we’ve played in the last couple years and it came against a really good opponent in a great ballpark. The guys were excited to play and they did a great job. We had chances early and Kentucky did a great job pitching out of trouble, but we just kept putting pressure on them. I know the final score looks big at first glance, but that was a close game until late.”

“I thought our pitchers threw the ball well. It was a planned bullpen day after not playing in a few days and having tomorrow off. We had to get those guys in the game and they all did a great job.”

“We had a bunch of two-out hits and two-strike at-bats that extended innings. Sal [Frelick], in a big spot, opened the game up with a two-strike battle and beat out an infield-hit to allow two runs to score. He drove in the first three runs. The kid is as competitive as they come. He continues to find a way to keep getting it done.”

BC HIGHLIGHTS

A leadoff walk is wiped out as Gian Martellini nabs a would-be base stealer at second to end the second.
UK’s leadoff-double is put out at home on a ground ball to Jake Alu at third, who with one out, threw to Martellini to get the runner at the plate.
Frelick tied the game in the top of the fifth, responding to a UK homer in the fourth, on a fly ball into the Wildcats’ left field bullpen.
Witkowski strikes out two in a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to keep the deficit to one run.
Frelick’s speed produces two runs with an infield single with two outs in the top of the eighth.
Dempsey followed Frelick’s two-run hit with a two-run triple to left-center.
Thomas Lane puts together a shutdown inning with two called strike threes while stranding a runner at third, in the bottom of the eighth.

GAME NOTES

Wednesday marked the second match-up all-time between BC and UK; the last a 5-4 Wildcat win in 2003.
Frelick was caught stealing for the first time this season, in the first inning, ending a streak of 11 successful stolen base attempts in a row.
Frelick hit his second home run of the season; the eighth of the year for BC in 11 games. Last season, BC’s eighth home run came in game 20.
Frelick recorded his team-leading seventh multi-hit game and third three-hit game of the season as well as his fourth multi-RBI game; posting a career-high four.
Alu hit his third double of the season and 21^st of his career.
Alu added his third multi-hit game of the season and 30^th of his career and fourth multi-RBI game of the season and 15^th of his career.
Dempsey hit his first career triple for his fourth multi-hit game of the season and 23^rd of his career.
Dempsey’s two-run triple marked his fourth multi-RBI game of the season and 11^th of his career.
BC drew a season-high 12 walks; the most since working 12 vs. Notre Dame (5/20/17).
The win was the first for BC over a SEC team since Missouri (2/28/10) and the first over a team competing as an SEC school at the time of the game since Auburn (2/21/04).