Eagles Win Wild One in Extras at UNC

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In a wild, back-and-forth affair, No. 17 Boston College baseball pulled out a 9-8, 10-inning win over No. 16 North Carolina at Boshamer Stadium on Friday night. The win, the first for BC at UNC in 18 games, improved the Eagles to 25-12 overall and 10-9 in the ACC, while the Tar Heels dropped to 25-13 and 9-8.

The top of the 10^th started with an errant throw and a wild pitch to put graduate catcher Peter Burns (Reading, Mass.) in scoring position. After a fly ball moved Burns and an intentional walk to junior first baseman Joe Vetrano (Shrub Oak, N.Y.), who took second on an indifference, sophomore shortstop Sam McNulty (Cambridge, Mass.) delivered both to the plate with a single ripped through the left side.

UNC battled back in the bottom of the 10^th, scoring one run on two hits and a walk and getting the tying run to third and winning run to first. Sophomore right-hander Julian Tonghini (New Canaan, Conn.) pitched the extra frame; striking out three, including a called strike three to end the game and secure his second save of the season.

Junior left fielder Cameron Leary (Bethpage, N.Y.) put Boston College on top in the ninth on a solo home run to right-center. Graduate RHP Andrew Roman (Monson, Mass.) then returned to the mound for his second inning of relief but saw the lead disappear two batters into the inning after a single, stolen base, and a single. With the bases loaded and one out, the Eagles forced extras with an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play.

Roman (2-0) got the win in two innings of work with one run scored against two hits and a walk. Graduate RHP Henry Leake (Burbank, Calif.) overcame a six-run bottom of the first to go 3.1 innings with the six runs scored on nine hits and no walks with two strikeouts.

For Carolina, Max Carlson surrendered five runs, three earned, on three hits and four walks with two strikeouts in a 2.2-inning start. RHP Kevin Eaise (2-3) took the loss with three runs against, one earned, on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 1.2 innings of work.

DETAILS
Score: No. 17 Boston College 9, No. 16 North Carolina 8
Records: Boston College 25-12, 10-9 ACC; North Carolina 25-13, 9-8 ACC
Stadium: Boshamer Stadium
Attendance: 4,012

BC HIGHLIGHTS
·       Roche hit a two-out, RBI-double to start the scoring in the top of the first and scored on a passed ball.
·       Trailing 6-2 in the third, BC cut the deficit to one on back-to-back, two-out singles by Cimini and Mercado, who drove in two.
·       Schroeder relieved Leake with two on, one out in the fourth, and left the bases loaded to keep the UNC lead at one.
·       The Eagles tied the game in the fifth on a two-out single by Cimini to score Wang, who doubled.
·       Leary hit a go-ahead, solo home run in the top of the ninth.
·       After surrendering the lead in the bottom of the ninth, Roman got an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play with the bases loaded.
·       With two out and two runners in scoring position, McNulty put BC back on top in the 10^th with a base hit through the left side.

GAME NOTES
·       The win marked the first in 18 games for Boston College at North Carolina.
·       BC is 3-0 in extra-inning games this season.
·       BC is 6-2 in one-run games this season.
·       Cimini tallied his ninth multi-hit and third multi-RBI game of the season and 15^th and fifth, respectively, of his career.
·       Honeyman posted his 13^th multi-hit game of the season and 30^th of his career.
·       Leary hit his ninth home run of the season and 27^th of his career, which ties him for fifth all-time at BC with Brian Macchi (1999-02).
·       Mercado recorded his sixth multi-RBI game of the season.
·       Mercado stole his seventh base of the season.
·       Roche hit his 10^th double of the season and 15^th of his career.
·       Roche stole his third base of the season and fifth of his career.
·       Walsh extended his career-best reached base streak to 15 games.
·       Wang hit his ninth double of the season.

UP NEXT
Game two has been pushed back to a 6 p.m. first pitch on Saturday due to rain in the forecast. Graduate RHP Chris Flynn (Naugatuck, Conn.) gets the ball for the Eagles.