Boston College baseball has taken off in the season’s first month, winning its first four weekend series, posting 14 wins in 18 games, and becoming ranked as the No. 16 team in the country. Along with Wake Forest, BC leads the ACC’s Atlantic Division with four conference wins, and with a ranking next to their name, the Eagles are no longer flying under the radar.
But Tuesday’s 6–2 loss against Northeastern (13–4, 3–3 Colonial Athletic) marks the end of BC’s 18-game roadtrip to begin the 2023 campaign, and the first time the Huskies have won a game against BC (14–4, 4–2 Atlantic Coast) since March 19, 2019—almost four years to the day. Northeastern needed no additional motivation, holding BC’s lineup to three hits and two runs in the win.
Northeastern struck first in the bottom of the first inning, as the Huskies’ third baseman Danny Crossen set the table with a one-out double, and after loading the bases, shortstop Carmelo Musacchia drove Crossen in on a sacrifice fly. BC starter A.J. Colarusso stranded two Huskies’ runners in scoring position, however, inducing a groundout from Southern California transfer Harrison Feinberg.
Cameron Leary led off the second inning with a walk and a stolen base, and advanced to third on a groundout from Peter Burns. With one out, the Eagles could not score Leary, as Nick Wang and freshman Kyle Wolff both struck out swinging. Northeastern added to its lead in the bottom of the inning, as Cam Maldonado laced a line drive to the right field wall, scoring Justin Bosland. Crossen added an RBI on a ground out that scored Gregory Bozzo from third. After two, the Huskies led 3–0.
After the game, BC head coach Mike Gambino emphasized the importance of capitalizing on scoring opportunities.
“We had our chances,” Gambino said. “Northeastern had two chances to situationally hit with a man on third and less than two outs early in the game, they got both of theirs done. We had one chance, we didn’t get it done.”
The Huskies extended their lead to 6–0 in the fifth inning, as designated hitter Alex Lane turned on a pitch from BC’s Joey Ryan, driving it off the scoreboard in left field for a three-run home run.
Northeastern starter Jake Gigliotti exited the game after five scoreless innings, but reliever Patrick Harrington was not as sharp, hitting Patrick Roche with a pitch then walking Leary, Burns, and Wang to let Roche score one run for the Eagles in the top of the sixth.
Northeastern’s Nick Davis entered the game to pitch, but after he hit Wolff, the Huskies allowed another BC run to score before Vince Cimini flew out.
In the eighth inning, taking objection to a tag on a play at the plate, Northeastern’s Mike Sirota made contact with Burns, leading to both dugouts emptying and a stoppage of play. After some discussion near home plate by both teams, and Sirota’s ejection, the game continued.
The two runs were all BC could muster, as Northeastern put in closer Griffin Young for the last two innings. Young, who has a 0.74 WHIP and a 1.53 ERA in nine appearances this season, struck out three BC batters and shut the door on the Huskies’ 13th win in 2023.
For the Eagles—who have won two consecutive road series after losing the Friday series opener—their response to the midweek loss will tell the rest of the week’s story, according to Gambino.
“[It is] another chance to respond,” Gambino said. “We have a team that’s shown that it can respond …. and will be tested to that standard again tomorrow.”
Correction (3/23/2023, 4:10 p.m.): This article previously stated that Boston College baseball is part of the ACC’s Coastal Division and that Northeastern plays in the Northeast Conference. It has been updated to reflect that BC competes in the ACC’s Atlantic Division and that Northeastern plays in the Colonial Athletic Association.
