Despite not holding a lead until the sixth inning, Boston College baseball found a way to win its matchup against Sacred Heart on Wednesday. Behind a strong start from Luke Delongchamp on the mound and two perfectly executed safety-squeeze, RBI bunts in the final innings, the Eagles walked away from their home diamond with a 5–2 win.
Through the first two innings, BC (9–11, 1–5 Atlantic Coast) and Sacred Heart were tied 0–0. Both teams recorded two hits and put at least one runner in scoring position, but neither plated a run.
In the top of the third, Sacred Heart’s (1–18) first baseman Steven Schoen scored the first run of the game, hitting a deep flyball for a solo home run off Delongchamp. It was the first start of the year for Schoen, who posts a .500 batting average on four hits in eight at-bats this season.
Delongchamp retired the next three Sacred Heart batters, turning it over to his offense in the bottom of the third. With one out, Travis Honeyman hit a hard ground ball that went under Sacred Heart shortstop Joe Emerson’s glove. Honeyman reached first base on the error.
Cameron Leary nearly made it a 2–1 game with a deep fly ball to right, but Sacred Heart’s George Sutherland made the catch on the warning track. Sacred Heart pitcher Charlie Costello then hit Luke Gold with a pitch, making it a first-and-second situation with two outs.
Under pressure, BC first baseman Joe Vetrano delivered, scoring Honeyman with a two-hop line drive to center field, tying the game at 1–1. Parker Landwehr almost added another, but Emerson caught his line drive.
Delongchamp posted an efficient fourth inning, retiring the Pioneer batters in order with five pitches. Aside from walks to Leary and Vetrano in the fifth, Sacred Heart relievers Luke Hansen and David Aufiero matched Delongchamp, and both teams exited the fifth inning still tied at one apiece.
Sacred Heart added another in the top of the sixth, taking the lead on a Ryan Donnelly single to left field. The Eagles responded in the bottom of the inning, quickly putting two runners in scoring position after Patrick Roche and Ramon Jimenez both walked and were moved over a base by Sam McNulty’s sacrifice bunt.
Owen MacDonnell replaced Aufiero on the mound, but Barry Walsh was unfazed, driving in Roche with an RBI single to tie the game. Jimenez scored on the next batter, as MacDonnell balked with Honeyman at the plate, putting BC ahead 3–2.
Charlie Coon threw nine pitches to retire the Pioneers’ 5–7 batters in order to begin the seventh inning. BC’s pitching led the Eagles’ defense from start to finish, allowing leadoff batters to reach in only two innings, and held Sacred Heart’s hitters to one hit in six opportunities with runners in scoring position.
BC extended its lead in the bottom of the seventh, as McNulty bunted to first base, scoring Landwehr from third. In the eighth, Landwehr returned the favor, bunting to third and scoring Honeyman.
Featured Image by Steve Mooney / Heights Editor
