BC Wins Weekend Series Against Duke, Jumps Into National Rankings
The Eagles took two of three from the Blue Devils and earned a spot in the rankings.
BC’s first conference weekend win since the final weeks of 2019 was, quite fittingly, dramatic. The second game was a dud, a thorough win for Duke, but it was sandwiched by a pair of strong performances from the Eagles who won in different ways. In the first game, it was the offense that kept up with every Blue Devils salvo, eventually pulling away. In the rubber match, it was pitching that kept Duke in check long enough for the bats to add some insurance runs.
Ultimately, it was an impressive weekend for BC—and the national media noticed. The Eagles have launched into the national polls, checking in at No. 22 in the D1Baseball Top 25 and at No. 18 in Baseball America’s rankings. Duke, meanwhile, fell out of both.
Here’s a brief recap of each game, followed by top performers of the weekend.
Game 1 - BC 10, Duke 6
Fearing the worst weather-wise, BC opted to shelve Friday night starter Mason Pelio in place of reliable long reliever Joey Walsh. Duke, meanwhile, trotted out ace Cooper Stinson. What followed was a four-and-a-half hour game that spanned two days thanks to rain, featured four lead changes, and a win probability chart that zigged up and down.
Walsh gave up a two-run single to RJ Schreck in the first, but in an example of what was to come, BC quickly tied it in the second. The bottom of the order came through as Ramon Jimenez had a RBI double and Dante Baldelli chipped in with a single. Walsh surrendered a no-doubt, two-run blast to Chad Knight, though, and was chased in the fourth. It took the Eagles no time at all to come right back, chasing Stinson in the fifth after the first two runners reached, then tying it up thanks to a two-run single from Luke Gold. BC briefly took the lead on a Peter Burns RBI single, but promptly gave it back in the bottom of the frame when reliever Alex Stiegler gave up a game-tying single to Schreck. The rain picked up and the tarp was rolled out, so the two teams earned a respite and picked up play the next day at 1 p.m.
Duke’s relievers spun back-to-back scoreless innings and Schreck came through again—this time in the seventh—as he lined a RBI single into center field that the Eagles’ Sal Frelick couldn’t hang on to. Much like the previous innings, though, BC came roaring back. The Eagles scored five unanswered runs against relievers Marcus Johnson and Jimmy Loper as Cunningham had a run-scoring double, Gold tacked on two more RBIs with a double to right-center, and a two-base, two-run error in the ninth cemented the 10-6 victory. Max Gieg spun two scoreless frames of relief in the win.
Game 2 - Duke 10, BC 3
Pelio took the mound later on Saturday and he more than met his match in Duke’s Henry Williams. The latter, a 6-foot-5 sophomore making his third collegiate start, gave up just two runs over six innings with seven strikeouts to one walk. Pelio, meanwhile, struggled with command throughout the day as he issued an uncharacteristic five walks and was charged with six earned runs across four innings in a blowout 10-3 defeat.
Williams kept what had been an explosive BC lineup largely in check. He set the tone early by erasing a two-on, nobody-out threat with consecutive strikeouts of Cody Morissette, Brian Dempsey, and Cunningham. His only mistakes were a solo home run surrendered to Chris Galland to lead off the third and a run-scoring single allowed to Frelick in the fifth. Galland added a RBI double in the seventh off of Duke reliever Owen McCarthy, but it only cut the deficit to seven. The Eagles had scored double-digit runs in each of their first four games, but struggled in the doubleheader. Outside of Cunningham, the 3-through-7 hitters went a woeful 0-for-16.
Duke, meanwhile, piled it on against Pelio and reliever Joe Mancini. The Blue Devils had five extra base hits, five stolen bases, and scored in five of the first six innings. It didn’t matter that they left 13 runners on base, either. Schreck drove in three more runs while Erikson Nichols went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a RBI out of the nine-hole.
Game 3 - BC 5, Duke 2
With the series on the line, it was Emmet Sheehan against what had the makings of a bullpen day for Duke. Sheehan spun his second quality start in a row to start the year, Gold and Frelick both homered, and Stiegler threw three scoreless innings to close out a 5-2 rubber match victory.
Sheehan went six innings and allowed two runs—on a Knight double and a Schreck home run—while tying a career-high with nine strikeouts. He had just enough run support to leave the game with a 3-2 lead as Burns had a RBI fielders choice and Gold launched a two-run home run to left.
After Sheehan, the Eagles turned to Stiegler—who’d given up the game-tying run in the fifth in the series opener. Tasked with protecting a slim one-run lead, Stiegler did so, working in and out of trouble with five strikeouts while scattering four hits and a walk across three innings. He got an extra bit of support from Frelick in the seventh as the junior launched a two-run shot into the right field bleachers.
Top Performers
Jack Cunningham, 1B - 8-for-12, 3 2B, 3 R, 2 BB, RBI
After going hitless in the Charleston Southern series, Cunningham came to DBAP and turned in an offensive clinic against the Blue Devils. He reached base 10 times, had three extra base hits, and was a perfect 4-for-4 in the series finale.
Luke Gold, 2B - 4-for-13, 6 RBI, 2 2B, HR, 3 R
Gold showed a knack for timely hitting, coming up with big hits in both of the Eagles’ wins. He was hitless in Saturday’s defeat, but BC doesn’t win the series without his poised at bats in the middle of the lineup. Gold had the go-ahead double in Game 1, then broke a 1-1 deadlock in Game 3 with a two-run home run. His 1.113 OPS through six games leads all qualified BC hitters.
Sal Frelick, CF - 6-for-13, 4 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, SB
A pair of multi-hit games, a home run, and a six-game hitting streak to start the year. Frelick is off to the start that many expected from the high-end draft prospect, as he now leads the team with a .429 average and 12 hits. He also flashed the leather in center field over the weekend.
Emmet Sheehan, RHP - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 60 Game Score
As touched on earlier, Sheehan is off to a great start to the year with back-to-back game score’s of 60 or above. He has 18 strikeouts to just three walks in 12 innings, a refreshing show of command after struggling with that in the past. D1Baseball’s Aaron Fitt was impressed with the junior, noting “he reached back for 94 when he needed it for a K in the 5th, but more importantly he really pitched, mixing three quality offerings. He has matured.”
Looking to Bounce Back
Mason Pelio - 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 7 K
Maybe it was shifting from Friday to Saturday that threw off the junior’s preparations, but Pelio didn’t have a single clean inning and gave up his most earned runs since a 2019 start against Virginia Tech. He struck out seven, but issued five walks (most since Apr. 14, 2019)—including two with the bases loaded. The fact that the lone loss of the weekend was his start is promising in a way, as Pelio’s upside is too high for many outings like that.
Cody Morissette - 1-for-10, 2 R, 4 BB, 3 K
This is an interesting one. Through six games, Morissette has 10 walks and a .406 on-base percentage that’s fifth on the team. He’s also managed just three hits, the fewest of any regular in the lineup. Morissette is grinding out at bats right now and staying patient, so it seems likely that the career .331 hitter will bounce back and get going soon.
The Eagles are back in action next weekend against Wake Forest, who was previously ranked but dropped two of three to Notre Dame—including a blowout 10-0 Sunday defeat—and fell out of the rankings.
Pictures courtesy of Boston College Athletics.