Boston College Baseball Sweeps Rhode Island in Doubleheader
By Joe Micik
Jerry Lai-USA Today Sports
The Boston College Eagles baseball team swept a doubleheader against the Rhode Island Rams on Tuesday, stretching their win streak to five in a row, their longest of the season.
With the 7-2 and 4-3 wins in Kingston, Birdball improves to 19-27 on the year.
Both games were shortened intentionally to allow for the doubleheader to be played. Each game was supposed to have been seven innings, but a tie made necessary an eighth inning in the first game. The second game only made it six innings before being called off due to darkness.
Boston College and Rhode Island were scheduled to play each other on April 15 in Kingston, but inclement weather forced the doubleheader today.
In game one of the twinbill, the Eagles and Rams were locked in a tight, low-scoring battle through the bottom of the seventh. Rhode Island, down 2-1 in what was supposed to be the game’s second-to-last frame, scored a run on a sac fly in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game.
It would not be until “extra” innings that the game would be untied, and in a big way. Boston College plated five runs in the top of the eighth, all of them coming without a home run. Michael Strem batted in the game-winning run on a squeeze play bunt that went successfully. Birdball ultimately came away with a 7-2 victory.
Game two ended up being a much closer contest, but the Eagles were able to ride a crooked number to victory. Trailing 3-1 in the fourth, Boston College came up with the three runs that won them the game. The Eagles’ Johnny Adams tied the game with a two-run double, while the game-winning run scored on a wild pitch of all things.
Once Rhode Island went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth, conditions at Rhode Island’s baseball field were ruled unplayable due to the fall of night, and the Eagles got two wins in just fourteen innings of work.
Shortened games or not, the Eagles will take the wins any way they can get them. Though these victories do not count in their conference standings, they do help the team maintain some momentum as they look to close strong.
This weekend, Boston College will host a weekend series against the Pittsburgh Panthers, one that could have a large say in the composition of the 2014 ACC Tournament.