BC avoids weekend sweep with 6-2 win over Pitt
The Eagles' pitching staff wrapped up a strong weekend and the lineup found timely hits to salvage the series.
In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Boston College reliever Alex Stiegler entered in a one-run game and gave up a pair of runs in the eighth to hand Pitt a narrow, come-from-behind victory.
In the second game, Stiegler refused to let history repeat itself. The graduate right-hander entered in a similar situation in the fifth—up a run, with two runners in scoring position—and tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Then, backed by a three-run seventh, southpaw Charlie Coon came in and closed out a 6-2 win to salvage the weekend series for the Eagles.
BC (20-25, 9-21 Atlantic Coast) finally found some timely hitting after being held to four runs in the first two games of the weekend combined and the pitching polished off a strong series. Right-hander Joe Mancini pitched into the fifth while Jack Cunningham hit a solo home run and Brian Dempsey—who was shifted to the six-spot in the lineup—reached base three times and had a clutch two-out, two-run single.
The Panthers (22-13, 16-11) were denied what would’ve been their third conference weekend sweep of the season. It was a relief for BC, as it had played with—or even outplayed—Pitt for much of the weekend. The Eagles are undoubtedly disappointed to have only take one game after leading 1-0 through five on Friday and 3-2 through seven earlier on Saturday, but it unfortunately follows a trend that’s stuck with them all season.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Mancini’s outing: After Stiegler was used in the first game—and with long reliever Joey Walsh unavailable due to a day-to-day injury—the Eagles’ turned to Mancini in a big spot. Used both as a long reliever and midweek starter, Mancini did an excellent job on Saturday, bridging the gap to the bullpen by pitching into the fifth inning.
He wasn’t perfect but limited damage, finishing with four innings of two-run ball having allowed six hits and three walks while striking out three. Mancini stranded two in scoring position in the second after giving up a RBI single to Brock Franks, then turned in back-to-back scoreless frames. His command slipped in the fifth, hitting two batters before giving up a fielder’s choice to score a run that chased him. Still, the right-hander has a respectable 3.80 ERA over his last nine appearances, split between a starting role and the bullpen.
Stiegler’s gem: Doubleheaders, as we’ve seen throughout the season, can be draining when you drop the first game. The Eagles’ entered this weekend having gone winless against Clemson and Notre Dame in doubleheaders and seemed in danger of doing so again against Pitt after the late loss in Game 1. Stiegler took the loss in that game, but shook it off and was terrific in relief.
He entered in a big spot in the fifth and struck out a pair to strand the bases loaded (an intentional walk was issued). Stiegler then worked a 1-2-3 sixth, worked around a double in the seventh, and retired the side in order in the eighth. He kept Pitt hitters off balance and struck out seven of the 13 batters he faced, throwing 65 percent of his pitches for strikes.
Timely hitting: The biggest issue in the first two games against Pitt was a failure to convert on opportunities. The Eagles’ combined to go 5-for-26 (.192) with runners on and 3-for-19 (.158) with runners in scoring position, totaling just four runs. They cleared that mark with six in the finale, aided by a few timely hits that just weren’t there in the first two games.
Dante Baldelli had a two-out RBI single in the second to open the scoring, then Ramon Jimenez brought in a run with a sacrifice fly in the third. Cunningham put a charge in one to extend the lead with a solo home run in the fifth, his first of the year. Entering the seventh, BC led by just one, but saw three different Panthers pitchers and came up clutch with two outs.
With the bases loaded thanks to two walks and a hit batsmen, Vince Cimini had an excellent take on a 3-2 pitch from Chris Gomez for an RBI walk. Dempsey stepped up and despite his demotion in the lineup and a pair of caught stealing’s on the day, laced a two-run single up the middle on the first pitch he saw. That was more than enough insurance for the Stiegler and Coon combination and secured the win.
Playoff Push: Dropping two of three was far from ideal for the Eagles, but at least 12th-seeded Duke did the same. After the Blue Devils took the first game of the weekend against Louisville, the Cardinals roared back with a doubleheader sweep on Saturday. Duke is now 10-17 in conference play and holds a 2 1/2 game lead on BC. There’s very little room for error now though. BC needs the Blue Devils to come close to losing out—they face Virginia Tech and Clemson—and also need Wake Forest (7-19) to stay in the cellar with matchups against Virginia and Pitt. The Eagles are off this weekend for finals, so they’ll be rooting for the Hokies and Cavaliers before they face Virginia in the final weekend of the year.
Images Courtesy of BC Athletics, Cardinal SportsZone, Pitt Athletics.