Five-Homer Showcase Propels Eagles to Day Three of Regionals

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 2 seed Boston College avoided elimination and advanced in the Tuscaloosa Regional with a 14-6 win over Nicholls on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles hit five home runs in a 16-hit offensive showcase in the first elimination game of the weekend.

Junior first baseman Joe Vetrano (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) led the BC home run brigade with two long balls and has gone deep four times through two games at the regional. His first home run broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth and Boston College (36-19) led the rest of the way.

The Eagles opened the scoring in the top of the second, going up 3-0 on one swing of the bat. Sam McNulty (Cambridge, Mass.), who went 4-for-4 with two doubles on Friday, banged his first home-run of the season high off the scoreboard in left field, extending his perfect streak at the plate start the weekend.

Nicholls rallied to tie the game at three in the third. An inning after Vetrano put BC back in front, he Eagles’ bats put together a five-run fifth, beginning with a leadoff-home run from senior left fielder Daniel Baruch (Cranston, R.I.), who earned the start. After Vetrano was issued an intentional-walk to put two aboard, sophomore second baseman Nick Wang (Newton, Mass.) took advantage, sending the fourth Boston College home-run of the day deep to left to extend the lead to 8-3.

Graduate right-hander Chris Flynn (Naugatuck, Conn.) got the start for BC, but left the game after two-plus innings due to injury. Fellow grad RHP Henry Leake (Burbank, Calif.) took over on the hill, retiring the first six batters he faced until a leadoff-single in the fifth. Leake (5-5) came right back and fanned the next three batters in order, logging four strikeouts in his first three frames of work.

Vetrano, who finished the game 4-for-5 with five RBI, kept his magical weekend going in the seventh, extending the Eagles’ lead to 13-3 with his second home-run of the day, and fourth of the weekend. Baruch added a 2-for-4 effort with two RBI.

Freshman lefty A.J. Colarusso (Leominster, Mass.) relieved Leake in the bottom of the seventh. Leake finished his day after four-shutout innings of relief, allowing just three hits, walking none, and striking out five. Colarusso picked up a three-inning save; his first of the season.

DETAILS
Score: No. 24 Boston College 14, Nicholls 6
Records: Boston College 36-19, Nicholls 34-24
Stadium: Sewell-Thomas Stadium
Attendance: 4,628

BC HIGHLIGHTS
●      McNulty got the scoring started in the second with a three-run, two-out home run to left.
●      Vetrano broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth with a leadoff-home run to right-center.
●      Baruch started a five-run fifth with a leadoff-home run.
●      After Vetrano was intentionally walked in the fifth, Wang blasted a three-run home run on the next pitch.
●      The Eagles logged five home-runs on Saturday, from McNulty, Vetrano (2), Baruch, and Wang.
●      Leake threw four-shutout innings of relief, striking out five and allowing just three hits, earning the win).
●      Colarusso earned a three-inning save, his first of the season.

GAME NOTES
●      BC is 24-24 all-time in 12 NCAA Tournament appearances.
●      BC won 36 games in a season for the first time since 2005 when the Eagles were a program-best 37-20.
●      BC hit four or more home runs for the fourth time this season and first since May 13 vs. Villanova.
●      Baruch hit his third home run of the season and fifth of his career.
●      McNulty hit his first home run of the season, third of his career and first since March 30, 2022.
●      Vetrano hit his 12th double of the season and 22nd of his career.
●      Vetrano homered twice for the sixth time in his career. He has homered four times in the regional to push his season total to 22 and career total to 35, which rank second and third all-time at BC, respectively.
●      Vetrano recorded the first 60-RBI season by an Eagle since John Spatola and Mickey Wiswall each had 61 in 2010 as he pushed his total to 64, which is second all-time at BC.
●      Vetrano matched his career-high in hits with four.
●      Walsh singled to extend his career-best reached base streak to 17.
●      Walsh stole his team-leading 14th base of the season and 23rd of his career.
●      Wang hit his 11th home run of the season.

UP NEXT
Boston College awaits the loser of Saturday’s nightcap between Alabama and Troy. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+.