Landwehr, Morissette pace BC lineup in rout of Holy Cross
The duo of Parker Landwehr and Cody Morissette combined to drive in seven runs as the Eagles rolled to a 13-2 win.
Boston College battled the Holy Cross Crusaders for the second time this season on Tuesday night. The last meeting, an 18-12 Eagles win, lasted four hours and was a back-and-forth affair. This time around, however, BC easily handled the Crusaders, winning 13-2.
BC (17-21, 6-18 ACC) bounced back from the series loss to Notre Dame in a big way. The Eagles dominated in every facet of the game and seemed to be in control for all nine innings. Holy Cross (7-13) started off well, tying the game in the first inning, but ended up allowing the game to spiral out of control due to some erratic pitching and shotty defense.
Seven different Eagles recorded at least one hit and one RBI. Catcher Parker Landwehr, second baseman Cody Morrissette, and right fielder Dante Baldelli led the way for BC, all having multi-hit days. The exclamation point on the win was a three-run homer in the sixth off the bat of Landwehr. The Eagles will use this momentum as they head into the home stretch of the season and look to make a run in the ACC tournament.
“Our message is that we are all in,” head coach Mike Gambino said. “We all know with our hearts that if we get into Charlotte, we have a chance to win that thing, and we all believe we can still do it. It’s as simple as keeping our head down and worrying about one game.”
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED:
Eagles Take Advantage of Crusader Miscues : With the sun bearing down on the outfield and the game still tied, the Holy Cross defense had a breakdown in the third, fourth, and fifth innings of today’s contest. The Crusaders amassed three errors on the day, which didn’t include some plays that were scored as hits but were severely misplayed.
In the third, after Morrissette was hit by a pitch and stole second, Jack Cunningham hit a hard ground ball directly at Holy Cross second baseman Sam Kirkpatrick. The ball was bobbled, allowing Cunningham to reach first safely, and for Morrissette to score. The next batter, Vince Cimini, ripped a line drive at Holy Cross left fielder Evan Blum who lost the ball in the sun and eventually booted it. Cimini advanced to third on the play and Cunningham scored, allowing BC to take the lead for good. In the very next inning a throwing error cost the Crusaders another run, and extended an Eagles rally that would lead to two more runs scored—pushing the lead to 5-1. In the fifth, the Holy Cross pitching staff joined the party, as an errant pick-off attempt from reliever Matt Remley led to another run. Holy Cross only had three fewer hits than BC, but it was the constant defensive miscues and lack of consistent pitching that cost the Crusaders the game.
Landwehr’s Big Day: The BC backstop had an impressive day at the plate, setting a career high for RBI’s and hits. It was obvious that Landwehr was seeing the ball well from his first at-bat, when he torched a ball to left that just happened to be right to the fielder. Landwehr said his approach was to “just stay simple and do whatever the situation called for.” This approach was on full display in the fifth when he put together the at-bat of the day for the Eagles. Landwehr quickly got down 0-2 and proceeded to foul off four pitches, until he finally got one to handle and laced it to right field for a base hit. The sophomore also hit his first career homer, as he hit a no-doubter to left center field in the bottom half of the sixth.
“I’m not very extravagant, but I knew I got it and it was a great feeling” said Landwehr who was relieved to finally put one out of the park in a college game.
BC Bullpen Silences Holy Cross Bats: The Eagles’ pitching staff had a fantastic day, scattering nine hits while only allowing two runs, a stark contrast to the 12 given up in the last meeting with the Crusaders. BC used six different pitchers en route to the win, many of whom were part of the late-game collapse last Saturday against Notre Dame.
“We knew we were going to those three guys [Joey Walsh, Joey Ryan, and Charlie Coon] regardless of the score,” Gambino said. “For me as a coach, I wanted to get those guys back out there.”
The top performer for the Eagles staff was Joe Vetrano. The freshman left-hander turned in three innings of scoreless work, fanning three and only allowing one hit. Vetrano was throwing all of his pitches for strikes and getting ahead early in the count, allowing him to keep his pitch count down to just 39. If the lefty can recreate this performance on a weekend, the Eagles will have a fantastic option out of the pen for years to come.
Play of the Day: Frelick’s Diving Grab in the First
A 5:30 start time poses plenty of trouble for outfielder’s playing in the Harrington Athletics Village. The setting sun shines directly towards left field, causing plenty of misplays and a lot of confusion for left fielders. In the top of the first, Holy Cross’ own left fielder blooped a single to shallow left. BC left fielder Daniel Baruch immediately lost the ball in the sun, and it looked like the ball was going to drop just a few steps ahead of him. Luckily, BC’s All-American center fielder Sal Frelick came out of nowhere on a full extension dive to snag the ball right in front of Baruch. The catch most likely saved a run and showed why Frelick is a top center field prospect.
Featured Images Courtesy of BC Athletics