 "Photo:")
The baseball team won its third straight game on Wednesday afternoon against the hapless Dartmouth Big Green. A sparse crowd witnessed the 12-6 slugfest at sunny Shea Field.
The Eagles fell behind early in the contest as Boston College starting pitcher Kurt Hayer struggled to locate the strike zone. The right-hander got the first two Dartmouth hitters out in the first, before walking the next three batters. That loaded the bases for Big Green leftfielder Andrew Nacario, and he responded with a two-run single.
The Eagles struck back in the bottom of the first when freshman first baseman Mike Belfiore hit a two-run shot over the left field wall. Belfiore's third home run of the season tied the score at two, before BC added another run off of Dartmouth starter Chase Carpenter to take the lead for good. "He [Carpenter] just threw me a straight fastball, and I drove the ball. I've been seeing the ball well lately, so hopefully I'll keep it up," said Belfiore after the game. Carpenter's record fell to 0-7 on the season.
BC's bats then erupted for eight hits in the second inning, including leadoff back-to-back-to-back doubles by Brandon Ziemann, Harry Darling, and Ryan Hutchinson. Three singles and a double later, the Eagles had taken a commanding 9-2 lead.
Hayer's woes continued in the top of the third, and he was pulled after allowing eight walks, three hits, and five runs.
Despite the rocky start, the sophomore earned his first career win. After his exit, reliever Geoff Oxley scattered five hits over three innings for the Eagles. The freshman struck out three Dartmouth batters, and keyed the Eagles strong bullpen performance, which has been a recent trend for baseball head coach Mikio Aoki.
"Our bullpen has been great lately. It's awesome to see the guys pitching well, especially Ox [Oxley]," said pinch-hitter Tony Sanchez about his roommate. "To win in this league, you've got to have pitching depth. It makes my job easier, too," the every day catcher added. "I'm a lazy guy, so I love just sitting back and watching my pitchers work."
The bullpen's strength gave life to an Eagles offense that had struggled recently until exploding for 13 runs on Tuesday against Quinnipiac. For the second consecutive day, the Eagles pounded out 18 hits. BC second baseman Joseph Ayers blasted a home run to left field in the fourth, followed by Jared McGuire's shot in the sixth. The round-trippers marked the fourth of the week for BC.
"It really looks like the offense is coming around," said Belfiore. "I know Quinnipiac and Dartmouth don't have the deepest pitching staffs, but we're swinging the bats - and that's the key."
The win over Dartmouth gave BC its 20th win on the season and much-needed momentum heading into a tough weekend series against No. 18 Clemson. The Tigers, 13-8 in ACC play, have not lived up to heady preseason expectations. Several polls originally had Clemson as the No.1 team in America. Despite a midseason slump the Tigers rebounded by beating South Carolina and winning a series against Georgia Tech last week. Clemson's outstanding pitching should prove a tough test against the Eagles' hitters.
Belfiore added, "We know we're going down to Clemson as the underdog. Their ace, Danny Moskos, is tough. He's a lefty that throws in the mid-90s. I heard he may be a first-rounder this year. But, we're going to prepare and go out and play ball. I think if we do our thing, the hits will come. We're just trying to reach that goal of the ACC Tournament. Then, anything can happen."
Be the first to comment on this article!