Wild Weekend Bounces Wrong Way for BC

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Eagles swept for first time this season in loss at UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Freshman right fielder Sal Frelick (Lexington, Mass.)caught a foul ball, while flipping over the fence into the bullpen to strand two runners and maintain momentum and a four-run lead, but it was short-lived as No. 12 North Carolina rallied for 13 runs over the next two innings and defeated Boston College, 16-8 at Boshamer Stadium. The Eagles (19-22, 7-14) were swept for the first time this season, while the Tar Heels improved to 30-11 and 13-8.

After playing 22 innings of baseball on Saturday and being walked off twice in the 11^th inning, BC turned to junior right-hander Matt Gill (Simsbury, Conn.) on the hill. Gill worked in-and-out of trouble for four innings, surrendering two runs in the second. The Eagles rallied back in the third with six runs on six hits as seven straight batters reached base.

Junior first baseman Jack Cunningham (South Riding, Va.), who homered in each of the first two games of the series, put Boston College in front with a two-run triple down the left field line. Back-to-back doubles from senior catcher Gian Martellini (Johnston, R.I.) and freshman second baseman Cody Morissette(Exeter, N.H.) followed to push the BC lead to 6-2.

Gill stayed on to start the fifth but was lifted after a sacrifice-fly trimmed the Eagles’ lead to 6-3. UNC first baseman Michael Busch followed with a solo home run, his second home run of the weekend, to cut the deficit to two.

After a called strike three from senior RHP Sean Hughes (Williamsburg, Va.) to start the bottom of the sixth, eight straight Tar Heels reached and scored. A potential double-play ball was booted and the throw to third high. The tying and go-ahead runs came in on wild pitches from senior RHP Thomas Lane (Georgetown, Mass.). The big blow of the inning was a three-run home run to left by shortstop Danny Serretti in a 12-run inning.

DETAILS
Score: North Carolina 16, Boston College 8
Records: North Carolina (30-11, 13-8), Boston College (19-22, 7-14),
Location: Boshamer Stadium (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Attendance: 2,161

BC HIGHLIGHTS

Baldelli begins a string of seven straight Eagles to reach in the third with an infield single and scores BC’s first run on a Frelick double. Alu scores the tying run on a wild pitch a batter later.
Cunningham lined a two-run triple into the left-field corner to put BC in front 4-2.
The scoring continued in the third with back-to-back, RBI-doubles by Martellini and Morissette.
Gill got around a leadoff single in the bottom of the third with a 4-6-3 double play for a quick shutdown-inning.
With two on in the fourth, Frelick made a catch in foul territory as he flipped over the wall and into the BC bullpen.

GAME NOTES

Cunningham extended his career-best reached base and hit streaks to 20 and 14, respectively, with a triple in the third.
Morissette tallied his 15^th multi-hit game of the season.
Frelick collected his 16^th multi-hit game of the season.
Frelick added his sixth three-hit game and team-leading 18^th stolen base of the season.
BC is 6-12 against ranked opponents this season.
The Eagles trail the all-time series against UNC, 28-2, and are winless in 17 tries at Boshamer Stadium.

UP NEXT
The Eagles play at home on Tuesday, April 23 against UMass Lowell at 5:30 p.m.