Eagles erase eight-run deficit, rally to beat Merrimack 10-9
BC methodically worked its way back into the game against the Warriors and took the lead for good in the seventh.
Excited to announce there’s a new contributor to Bird’s Eye View to help out with midweek stories and other content! This recap was written by Andrew Kynes—stay tuned for more content from him moving forward. You can follow him on Twitter @andrewjkynes.
BRIGHTON, Mass. — After digging an 8-0 hole through three innings, Boston College was able to complete a massive comeback, rallying to escape in-state foe Merrimack by a score of 10-9.
In an empty Harrington Athletics Village, tensions between the two teams were running high as momentum shifted, and talk from both dugouts could be heard throughout the stadium. The three-hour affair between the Eagles (12-7, 3-6 Atlantic Coast) and Warriors (3-9) featured 11 walks, 25 hits, and a combined 19 runners left on base.
Merrimack starter Wyatt Villella did all he could for the Warriors, as he tossed five innings and allowed just one earned run. The junior right-hander was filling up the strike zone with his fastball, tempting the Eagles to swing early in the count and get themselves out. The BC offense struggled to string together good at-bats. Villella was able to play into the Eagles’ aggressive style of play by throwing strikes low in the zone, causing plenty of weak contact from some of the top hitters in the lineup.
The Warriors offense was led by Newton, Mass., native Thomas Joyce, who clubbed a no-doubt grand slam in the first inning. Joyce’s teammate—arguably Merrimack’s best player—Joey Porricelli had a fantastic day as well as he reached base four times. The graduate student was not fazed at all by BC pitching, and put together an impressive six quality at bats in the contest. Freshman Bryant Skurbe added another home run during the Warriors early-game onslaught. The Merrimack lineup showed fantastic patience, as they saw plenty of pitches and were able to get ahead in the count often.
For the Eagles, Joey Ryan got the start. Ryan has been busy during the midweek games so far this season, posting a nice 3-0 record going into tonight’s contest. Wednesday, however, was not Ryan’s day.
The freshman righty got into trouble early, as he walked the first batter and hit the second—eventually loading the bases in the top of the first on just 10 pitches. After a fielder’s choice and a nice play by shortstop Brian Dempsey, the Eagles were already trailing 1-0. After another hit batter, Joyce stepped up to the plate. Joyce grew up in Newton and attended Newton North High School, just down the road from BC. Ryan was struggling to find the zone at this point and needed to get one across the plate. He did, but it was a fastball right in Joyce’s wheelhouse and the lefty did not miss it. Just like that, it was an early 5-0 deficit for the hosts. Ryan was able to calm down and make quick work of the next two batters by way of two nifty changeups for swinging strikeouts, but his day would end there.
Joey Mancini would come in for relief and retired the Warriors in order during the second inning. In the top of the third, though, Merrimack took advantage of Mancini’s fastball and sent nine hitters to the plate in the third. Tallying nine runs on five total hits—highlighted by a Skurbe homer and a two-run single by Micheal Jamele—the Warriors built an eight-run lead.
The next six innings proved to be a much different story. Charlie Coon, Jon Campbell Jr, John West, and Brian McMonagle combined to surrender just one run on six hits while striking out six.
Coon set the pace for the efficient back end of the game, as he tossed three scoreless frames. The lefty showed excellent command of his fastball and proved that he could flip in his devastating breaking ball for a strike in any count. None of the pitchers that followed Mancini were upperclassmen, providing hope for the Eagles staff moving forward.
“We have a group of young arms that all have a chance to be very special,” head coach Mike Gambino said. “Every team we play in these midweek games is good, so they all will get chances to develop against good competition.”
Offensively, the Eagles started off slowly. It wasn’t until the team’s sixth batter that an Eagle saw more than three pitches in an at-bat. This aggressive strategy proved to be unfruitful as the BC was held hitless until the third. In the early goings, the Eagles were led by catcher Sean Harrington. The graduate transfer from Babson, making his first career start, was able to get on base in his first two at-bats and scored two of BC’s first three runs. The bottom of the order was more impressive early, as freshman nine-hole hitter Travis Honeyman also notched his first career hit. The Eagles were finally able to put a crooked number on the scoreboard in the sixth, when Vince Cimini ripped a two-run double to left. Cimini would score later in the inning on an RBI bunt single by Dante Baldelli, cutting the once eight-run deficit to just three.
After Merrimack scored a run in the top of the seventh, the BC lineup finally broke out. Dempsey led the inning off with a triple and Sal Frelick followed with a walk to bring up Luke Gold, one of the hottest sluggers in the ACC. Gold continued his torrid stretch, ripping a double and scoring both Dempsey and Frelick, cutting the deficit to two. Jack Cunningham followed Gold’s lead and sliced a double of his own into right to score another run and cut the Merrimack lead to just one.
Cunningham would steal third—confirmed via a replay review—and score on a Merrimack wild pitch which tied up the contest for the first time since the top of the first. After another wild pitch from Merrimack reliever Jack Collins, pinch-runner Chris Galland would score the go-ahead run to cap a five-run inning and set the stage for the ninth.
McMonagle came into the game in a save situation to make his season debut. It was obvious that the sophomore was eager to show off his stuff, as his fastball and slider pairing was clicking. He tallied his first save of the year and will look to continue to build his role with this team.
Remarkably enough, the eight-run comeback by the Eagles is not too unusual for BC fans, as the team are two weeks removed from the epic ninth-inning comeback down in Auburn.
“When we get down we never quit,” Cunningham said. “We have one of the best lineups in the country and can score at will. We are never out of it.”
With the win, the Eagles moved to a perfect 4-0 in midweek games and 9-1 in non-conference play. They’ve got a big conference series on the horizon as they welcome in Clemson. The three-game set will be crucial for BC as it looks to get back on track in ACC play after its hot start.
“Out of 14 teams, you’d say 12 teams are either solidly in a national tournament or bubble,” Gambino added. “It’s crazy what this league is right now. Clemson’s going to be Clemson. They’ve played a tough schedule and it’s going to be a good, fun series.”