Eagles Thrash Fairfield on Consecutive Days

After dropping a pitchers duel to North Carolina A&T, BC rebounded by scoring 39 runs in two games.

On Friday afternoon against North Carolina A&T, Boston College got seven strong innings of pitching from Mason Pelio. The de facto ace of the staff allowed two runs and had to work around three walks and three hit batsmen, but it was his best start of the young season. The only problem was that the Eagles lineup—the clear-cut strength of the team—was cold, managing a lone run on six hits in a disappointing 2-1 setback.

Less than 24 hours later, BC got its frustrations out. After head coach Mike Gambino said earlier in the week that he didn’t think his lineup was fully clicking yet—which was evident in the loss to the Aggies—the Eagles demonstrated just how potent they can be. In back-to-back games against Fairfield, a team they wound up playing in Greensboro, N.C., after a scheduling mishap of sorts by the NCAA, BC piled up 39 runs on 44 hits and claimed consecutive blowout wins by final scores of 19-6 and 20-1, respectively.

It was an eye-opening two games as the Eagles hit .473 as a team and it didn’t seem to matter who they sent to the plate. The pitching staff continued a strong weekend, too, which was much needed after giving up 38 runs in four games—all defeats—prior to the N.C. A&T loss.

1) Hitting Streak

Earlier this week, I wrote about how outside of the returning All-ACC selections, the duo of Joe Suozzi and Jack Cunningham were already showing signs of growth from a season ago. While hits were aplenty for BC, it’s worth noting that Suozzi has six on the weekend already, raising his average to .474 with 18 in his first 10 games. The senior boasts a 10-game hitting streak to start the year and is now just three hits away from reaching the halfway mark of his total last season (42 in 48 games). He’s hitting cleanup in the Eagles’ lineup—totaling 11 RBIs—and has been a formidable bat to follow up the likes of Sal Frelick, Brian Dempsey, and Cody Morissette.

2) Top Five

Outside of Suozzi, the rest of that dangerous first five bats in the BC lineup—which includes the three previously mentioned and five-hole hitter Jack Cunningham—continued strong starts to the year. Frelick, while going 2-for-7, led off the first game with a tone-setting solo home run. Dempsey saw a three-game multi-hit streak end on Sunday but scored four runs in two games. Morissette, now riding a six-game hitting streak, went 3-for-4 with three runs on Saturday and his second act was a two-homer, four-RBI day on Sunday. Cunningham, meanwhile, had a pair of two-hit games and drove in two runs. If all of these guys are clicking, that’s a tall task for any opposing pitcher—whether it’s a weaker Fairfield pitching staff or an ACC-caliber foe.

3) Peter & Dante

It was a weekend of getting back on track for two names at the bottom of the Eagles lineup. Catcher Peter Burns and center fielder Dante Baldelli, who entered with sub-.200 averages, had big days at the plate which in turn set the table for the top of the lineup. Burns, who had one hit in his last five games, went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, and four runs scored. Baldelli—who Gambino pointed to as having good at bats but getting unlucky in the Arizona State series—finished with four hits that included a bases-loaded, three-run triple and also swiped a pair of bases.

4) Weekend Rotation

The hitting wasn’t the only thing that enjoyed a good few days. We finally saw what the weekend rotation can do if they all turn in good starts, even if Pelio’s was a loss. Joe Mancini (5 IP, 4 R, 7 K) turned in a decent effort on Saturday, while Emmet Sheehan (7 IP, 1 R, 8 K) was lights out on Sunday. When you look at a chart of each starter’s Game Score—which is defined below—each pitcher turned in its best outing of the year thus far.

Game Score was originally created by Bill James to measure the quality of individual starts. While most baseball fans are familiar with the traditional “pitching line” of Innings, Hits, Runs, Earned Runs, Walks, and Strikeouts, James’ Game Score consolidates those statistics into a single number that makes comparing starts easier. GS isn’t meant to be a perfectly precise estimate of pitcher performance, but it is generally a useful tool when used properly.

5) Peak Sheehan

After each of Sheehan’s first two starts—tough outings against Northern Illinois and Arizona State—I’ve asked Gambino about what the righthander brimming with potential needs to do. The coach has preached patience, talking about Sheehan’s youth and how he just needs to mature on the mound. Against Fairfield on Sunday, that was on full display. He was masterful, scattering five hits and one run over a career-high seven innings with eight strikeouts. Even more impressive was the fact that he didn’t walk a single batter after totaling 11 in his first 3 1/3 innings this season. Sheehan set down the first 11 Stags he faced before giving up back-to-back hits, then finished the day with six strikeouts in his final three innings of work.

6) No. 7 Hitter

The lineup has pretty much stayed the same through the first 10 games, save for the No. 7 spot (and the No. 8 due to rest for catchers). After splitting time between Lucas Stalman and Vince Cimini there, Gambino shook it up this weekend and gave a start to Barry Walsh before turning to Ramon Jimenez twice against Fairfield. This suggests that Luke Gold now has the second base spot locked down, and that BC is just looking for offensive contributions at designated hitter. Walsh went 0-for-2 with a walk against N.C. A&T, while Jimenez impressed more in the next two games. He scored twice in the first game, adding a double, then went 2-for-4 with a RBI single and another double on Sunday. The 6-foot-3 sophomore is an interesting power bat to hit there for now, with Stalman (3-for-22) and Cimini (2-for-11) off to slow starts.

7) Bench Bats

Blowouts provide opportunities to sift through the bench, and the Eagles did plenty of that. Gold was the only player to not get replaced at some point during the two games, with most pinch hitters or defensive replacements getting at at bats. Of those, a trio of names stood out. Walsh drew two walks and added two hits—including a RBI double—while scoring three runs. Additionally, Jacob Yish drove in three runs with a double and a single, while Daniel Baruch went 3-for-3 with a trio of singles and brought in two more runs.

8) Bullpen

It’s been a strong three games for the bullpen, too. Joey Walsh had a scoreless inning of relief on Friday, then five relievers combined for six innings of two-run ball against Fairfield. Samrath Singh (1 IP, 1 K) and Evan Moore (1 IP, 2 K) both made successful season debuts, while Michael Marzonie (1 IP, 2 K) and Jon Campbell (1 IP, 1 K) were solid as well. Sophomore Ryan Smith was charged with two runs, one earned, over two innings of work but struck out three and is now third among relievers in innings pitched.

Images Courtesy of BC Athletic Communications