BC Baseball: Four-Run First Leads to Opening Day Win

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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Boston College baseball team picked up a 7-2 win over Northern Illinois to open the season at Chain of Lakes Park on Friday afternoon. The BC Eagles are 1-0 for the third year in a row, while the Huskies are 0-1.

Playing for the first time since being sidelined by a leg injury last April, sophomore right fielder Sal Frelick (Lexington, Mass.) led off the bottom of the first for BC with a double. One swing later, the Eagles had their first lead of the season on a two-run home run to left by senior shortstop Brian Dempsey (Potomac, Md.). BC capped off its four-run first with three more consecutive hits, including a RBI-triple by senior left fielder Joe Suozzi (Glen Cove, N.Y.).

Sophomore right-hander Mason Pelio (San Diego, Calif.) tossed five innings in the start for the Eagles. He saw traffic on the bases in all five frames; yielding both runs allowed in the fourth inning. Overall Pelio (1-0) allowed five hits, walks two and struck out four.

Michael Lasiewicz (0-1) bounced back from the four-run start, but ultimately took the loss for NIU. He surrendered four runs on six hits and struck out five without issuing a walk.

Boston College got back the two runs Northern Illinois plated in the fourth by scoring two with the bases loaded in the seventh. Dempsey delivered a two-out single to right for his third and fourth RBI of the game.

DETAILS

Score: Boston College 7, Northern Illinois 2

Records: Boston College 1-0, Northern Illinois 0-1

Location: Chain of Lakes Park (Winter Haven, Fla.)

Attendance: 135

BC HIGHLIGHTS

· The first five Eagle batters reached for the season as BC posted four runs in the bottom of the first innings.

· As a team, Boston College hit for the cycle in the first four batters of the game.

· BC’s first two runs came on Dempsey’s home run to left.

· Dempsey added two more RBI in the seventh with a two-out single.

· Freshman designated hitter Luke Gold’s first career hit was an eighth-inning, RBI-single.

GAME NOTES

· BC is 5-0 all-time against NIU.

· The Eagles are 23-24 in season openers on record and 4-5 under head coach Mike Gambino.

· Dempsey hit his fourth career home run and recorded his 40^th career multi-hit game.

· Dempsey matched a career-high in RBI with four for the fourth time in his career and his 14^th career multi-RBI game.

· Suozzi extended his hitting streak to five games, which dates back to last season, with his third career triple.

· Pelio was last credited with a win on March 31, 2019, an 8-0 win at Florida State.

· BC last won on three consecutive opening days between 2008 and 2010.

UP NEXT

The Eagles and the Huskies meet for two in Winter Haven on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

Boston College 7, Northern Illinois 2 (Feb 14, 2020, at Winter Haven, Fla.)
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Northern Illinois… 000 200 000 – 2 7 2 (0-1)
Boston College…… 400 000 21X – 7 9 1 (1-0)
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Pitchers: Northern Illinois – LASIEWICZ, Michael; SEEBACH, Kyle(7); TURELLI, Paul(8) and DUNHAM, Jake. Boston College – Pelio, Mason; Couhig, Nick(6); Marzonie, Michael(8) and Burns, Peter.

Win-Pelio, Mason(1-0) Loss-LASIEWICZ, Michael(0-1) T-3:00 A-135
HR BC – Dempsey, Brian.
Weather: 69, Cloudy, NNE 9 MPH