A collegiate start remains a new task for Jacob Burnham. Burnham, a freshman, made two starts prior to Saturday, and none as efficient as the 11-pitch-per-inning pace he owned through four innings.
The fifth inning was foreign territory for Burnham in a start, and Max Handron engaged Burnham in an eight-pitch at bat that ended with a booming single. The Bears ripped another single after Handron.
A bunt, ultimately, brought in two runs for the Bears. Burnham charged the bunt and overthrew first base. California (22–30, 9–21 Atlantic Coast) scored its first two runs on the error and added another on the only out Burnham coaxed in the inning.
Boston College (26–28, 11–19 Atlantic Coast) tied the game at three runs in the ninth inning and surrendered the walk-off run on a wild pitch in its 4–3 loss.
Cesar Gonzalez, like Burnham, set his single-game innings personal best on Saturday. Gonzalez’s worst hit allowed, a double from Alex Birge in the tenth inning, ended up being the game-winning run. Prior to the double, Gonzalez allowed only two hits in 4.2 innings.
BC had a runner in scoring position in the tenth, Vince Cimini, and attempted to bunt him home. Julio Solier was assigned the bunt and bounced it right back to the pitcher for an easy putout at first base.
The Eagles dropped to the No. 14 rank in the ACC standings on Saturday after its loss to Cal and Stanford’s 6–3 win over North Carolina State.
BC will face No. 11 Notre Dame in the first round of the ACC Baseball Championship on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
BC scored six late-inning runs on Friday and beat Cal 10–9.
Gunnar Johnson pinch-hit for Adam Magpoc in the eighth inning and tied the game with a solo home run. Cal loaded the bases and walked Esteban Garcia to bring in another run, and then hit Colin Larson to force in a third run.
Cal rallied for four hits in the bottom half of the eighth inning and reclaimed its one-run lead.
BC was down to its final out after Julio Solier and Sam McNulty struck out to begin the top of the ninth inning. Josiah Ragsdale kept hope alive with a single to left field.
Two consecutive errors – a muffed ground ball charge Cal shortstop PJ Moutzouridis and a catching error from pitcher Kaden Taque while covering first base – allowed BC to score the tying run. Esteban Garcia capped the two-out rally with a two-RBI line drive single into right-center field.
The Bears had the potential winning run on first base with no outs in the bottom of the ninth. Dylan Howanitz induced a double play on his first pitch from the bullpen. Cal scored its lead runner on the play and were retired on a flyout to end the game.
Cal won the series opener on Thursday night 8–6.
BC divided the pitching workload in near-perfect thirds. AJ Colarusso, JD Ogden, and Gavin Soares each faced 14 batters.
Colarusso and Ogden both suffered a two-run inning during their appearances. Cal clubbed leadoff doubles in the second against Colarusso and in the fifth against Ogden. The middle of Cal’s lineup stung BC in both innings. Jacob French and Max Handron (both 3-for-5) recorded hits against every BC pitcher.
French and Handron’s antagonization of BC reached its climax with their ninth-inning home runs. BC took the lead in the ninth and Soares remained in the game. Soares, who pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings, buckled in the high-leverage situation. Jacob French hit a two-run homer to tie the game and two batters later Max Handron homered to walk-off BC.
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