Hope you enjoyed yesterday: Boston College Baseball gets shut out by Miami Hurricanes 5-0
By Kyle Egan
Are there any more words you can spare on the Eagles at this point, without even being repetitive. Probably even that opening line has become cliche among the Boston College blogs. Obviously this is not my intention, but there is hardly anything enticing about the current squad in the Heights.
So today, after getting their first ACC win after 21 attempts, the Boston College Eagles baseball team attempted to put together consecutive wins for the first time since beating UConn and Harvard on 4/2 and 4/3. Prior to yesterday’s 1-0 win against the Miami Hurricanes, the Eagles’ hadn’t won a game since “beating up” on Ivy League Dartmouth 9-5.
Actually, aside from all of the negativity that is going to be expressed in this game recap, today the Boston Colleges Team supported the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides assistance to wounded veterans coming home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The team honored veterans prior to the game and several came out for the first pitch. The Eagles also wore commemorative Under Armour jerseys with the Stars and Stripes displayed on the sleeves.
The game started like most Boston College baseball games:getting off to an early deficit. The Hurricanes battered the Eagles starting pitcher Junior Eric Stevens(0-10), who is currently seems to be on track to challenge Anthony Young’s infamous streak, in the top of the second with Miami Sophomore CF Dale Carey doubling down the line in left driving in the runners on first and second, who had gotten on board with consecutive singles.
Stevens was able to last till the top of the sixth, where he was pulled after only getting an out. In total, he gave up five runs on ten hits and two walks. Sophomore Nick Poore came in for Stevens giving the Eagles 3 scoreless innings with an equal number of strikeouts.
The other end of the pitching bill couldn’t have been any different. Miami Sophomore starting pitcher Brian Radziewski, who is putting together an all-around incredible season with only an 0.95 ERA in 56.2 innings, pitched a complete game shutout only allowing 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8. Considering yesterday’s Miami starter Chris Diaz’s only run was unearned, Miami pitchers haven’t given up an earned run in 18 innings against the Eagles.
Obviously that is not an optimal fact for these Eagles who have struggled to put runners across the plate all season. To put it in perspective, Boston College is trailing Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in runs scored this season at 281st place among Divsion I programs coming into this weekend, having only 131 marks on the scoreboard. This problem is compounded by the fact that the team can barely stay above the Mendoza Line with a .208 batting average(294th out of 296 DI teams).
I don’t know what needs to be done with Boston College Baseball, because clearly where it is right now seems pretty hopeless. There is no fire or excitement right now. Freshman SS Joe Cronin bunting right after Blake Butera walked in the first inning was about the most interesting part about the game today. Even with a team so inept at the plate, at least a bit of scrappiness can be implemented to make game watchable, but manager Mike Gambino hasn’t been able to instill that sort of culture into the team. Maybe he isn’t even feeling like his team should do that. But when your team lacks extra base hit power, you must adjust.
Hopefully things will improve. Hopefully a proper stadium will be built that will attract more than the usual crowd of family and bros with tailgate coolers. But right now all we know is that we have a Boston College baseball team with a 7 and 35 record with a 1 and 21 line in the ACC. See you at the “rubber match” tomorrow 12 PM Shea Field.