After a 2-1 start to the 2024 season, Boston College baseball took two of three in their weekend series at UT Arlington. The Eagles’ pitching almost single-handedly won them Saturday’s game before the offense took over on Sunday. BC is now 4-2 on the season and is looking strong to begin the season.
Birdball dropped the Friday night opener 11-6 and was down 11-0 after six innings. John West made his second start of the year for the Eagles and pitched four innings, giving six hits, two walks, and three runs. Despite limiting UT Arlington to just three runs during his time on the mound, he was unfortunately the losing pitcher after his offense failed to give him any run support.
The Mavericks scored their three runs off of West in the second inning and scored eight runs off of BC relievers in the fifth and sixth innings to take an eleven run lead.
BC scored its first run of the ballgame in the seventh inning on Cameron Leary’s first home run of the season and the Eagles exploded for five runs in the eighth. Patrick Roche led off the inning with a pinch hit single. Adam Magpoc pinch hit and also singled to give BC two on with one out.
Nick Wang earned a walk to load the bases for Kyle Wolff who singled to left field to drive in two runs. Cameron Leary stepped up next and belted a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence for a three-run homer, making the score 11-6 UT Arlington. Leary went 3-4, with two home runs, two runs, and 4 RBI. Magpoc went 2-2 as a pinch hitter and scored a run.
The Eagles got back in the win column after they shutout the Mavericks 3-0 on Saturday afternoon. In his second start of the year, A.J. Colarusso pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, giving up six hits and striking out five to earn his first win of the season. Tyler Mudd earned his first save of the year by pitching the final 3.1 innings, allowing four base runners and striking out four batters.
The Eagles broke the 0-0 tie in the fifth inning after Leary drew a leadoff walk and scored on a double by Cam Caraher. John Collins followed that with a double of his own to put BC up 2-0.
Birdball scored the final run of the game in the top of the seventh when Magpoc singled and scored on a double by Parker Landwehr to give BC a 3-0 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.
In Sunday’s rubber match, BC’s bats came to play: they collected 16 hits and scored 17 runs in a game that Birdball won 17-8. Michael Farinelli started the game, going 4.2 innings, giving up three runs and striking out three. Jordan Fisse earned his second win of the season after pitching 1.1 scoreless innings in relief.
The Mavericks struck first, scoring two runs in the opening frame, but they wouldn’t score again until the fifth. The Eagles tied the game in the top of the third after Sam McNulty and Magpoc earned walks and Wang singled to drive them both home.
Birdball took its first lead of the game the following inning. Vince Cimini singled and stole second and Caraher walked to bring up McNulty. He reached on an error by UT Arlington’s shortstop, which allowed Cimini to score and brought Magpoc to the dish. He singled home a run and Roche grounded out to score BC’s third run of the inning, giving BC a 5-2 lead.
The Mavericks scored one run in the fifth, which BC matched in the sixth thanks to a single by Cimini, a double by Landwehr, and a sac fly from Caraher. UT Arlington took the lead in the bottom of the inning after Birdball pitching allowed five runs on two walks, four hits, and one wild pitch.
But Eagles pitching didn’t allow runs for the rest of the game and the offense went back to work in the final three innings. After a walk and a balk, Wolff scored on a single by Leary in the seventh to make the score 8-7.
Then the offense exploded again, scoring nine runs in the top of the eighth. Thanks to eight hits, two walks, and three errors, the Eagles retook the lead, 16-8. Wang, Wolff, Leary, Landwehr, and McNulty all had at least one RBI as BC batted through the entire lineup.
With the game nearly in hand, Birdball tacked on one final insurance run in the ninth after Owen DeShazo singled, Leary walked, and Cimini drove in DeShazo with a single to third.
Seven Birdball batters had multiple hits and four had multiple RBI, as Wang and Leary lead the way with three apiece to help BC earn a series win in Texas against UT Arlington.
Boston College baseball is now 4-2 on the year and will play a home game on Wednesday against the Maine Black Bears before playing in the Richmond Invitational over the weekend.