Missed opportunity for softball

BC softball (14-21) rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 6th to force extra innings with #17 ranked UMass (21-6), but the Minutemen clubbed a solo homer in the 9th inning to top the Eagles, 4-3.

It was part of an up-and-down day in BC athletics. 

The baseball team bounced back from last night's Beanpot disappointment to throttle Rhode Island, 10-0. Mickey Wiswall hit a 2-run homer and six Eagles pitchers combined to four-hit URI.

Meanwhile, the women's lacrosse team was downed by BU, 13-6.

I'm working on a feature story on new hockey recruit Patrick Wey for EagleInsider.com. I'll post a link as soon as it's up.

A Palm Sunday miracle

I passed by Shea Field in the 4th inning of yesterday's rubber game between the Eagles and the NC State Wolfpack, and saw that it was 10-2, 'Pack.

I went off and did other things for a few hours, expecting the game to be long over by the time I got back to Edmond's Hall. As I walked toward my room, I heard PA announcements coming from Shea. I joked that maybe the Eagles were in the midst of a miraculous comeback which prolonged the game.

Sure enough, that was the case. After trailing 10-2 in the 6th inning, BC scored nine runs in three innings to go up 11-10. Mike Belfiore came in and closed the door on NC State in the 9th, handing BC what was quite possibly their biggest and most exciting home win since joining the ACC.

The Eagles are now 19-10 overall and a very respectable 7-6 in ACC play. Something's brewin' at Shea Field.

BC's next game is tomorrow night against UMass in the Baseball Beanpot semifinals, to be held in Brockton's Campanelli Stadium.

Pack win game 1

NC State just put the finishing touches on an 8-4 victory over BC baseball at Shea Field in game 1 of today's doubleheader (yesterday's game was postponed to this morning due to rain). 

The Eagles and the Wolfpack are starting game 2 as we speak.

The football team just finished up their first scrimmage - I'll link to my story on EagleInsider.com once it's posted.

EDIT:

-LINK to EagleInsider football story

(must be a subscriber)

-BC baseball won game 2 of the doubleheader, 8-6, setting up a crucial rubber game tomorrow at 1 PM.

Two seasons - baseball, and admissions...

Hockey season's over, basketball season's over... but there are two seasons that are about to get red-hot - baseball season, and admissions season.

The BC baseball team had a successful work week, knocking off both Northeastern and UConn; they look to parlay that into ACC success this weekend against the NC State Wolfpack. But the weather is looking sketchy:

Boston, MA Weather Forecast

So it remains to be seen whether or not tomorrow's game (scheduled for 2:30 PM) actually gets played.

The other big season, admissions season, just got underway as acceptance letters are out to the BC class of 2013. In honor of that, as well as my impending journey through senior year, I have signed up to blog for BC's Student Admissions Program, giving my take on day-to-day life at BC.

You can read my contributions to the BC A&S Liberal Arts blog here.

Baseball cruises to win

The Eagles beat up on the Northeastern Huskies 12-2 on a chilly afternoon at Shea Field to improve to 16-9 on the season.

Mike Belfiore and Tony Sanchez each hit homers for BC, while sophomore Pat Dean pitched six scoreless innings to get the win. Dean also wriggled out of a bases loaded, 0 out jam in the second inning.

BC looks  to complete the Husky 1-2 punch tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Storrs Correctional Facility to take on the Other Huskies, before hosting NC State this weekend in ACC play.

Afternoon at the ballpark

It's time for another BC baseball game, this time against Northeastern. And just like on Saturday, we're pretty blessed to have some decent weather for this one after a day of cold and rain yesterday. The start time has been moved to 3:30 to give the field some extra time to dry out.

The Eagles came back for a 6-5, 12-inning win over the Huskies at NU on March 17.

Pat Dean (2-1, 4.88 ERA)  will get the start for the Eagles, who come into the game with a 15-9 record (5-5 ACC).

Women's hockey clinches first-round bye

BC earns the #2 seed  in the Hockey East tournament with an impressive 5-1 win at Providence. Allie Thunstrom scored two, with one goal each by Mary Restuccia, Kelli Stack, and Maggie Taverna.

Thunstrom was absolutely electric, playing perhaps her best game since her one-person rally last year in Minnesota. She scored just 14 seconds into the game, batting in a rebound off a shot by Stack. 

Later in the period, with the score 2-0, she scored a brilliant goal, breaking in down the right side on a 2-on-1 with Restuccia. Restuccia was well-covered. Allie faked a pass to her, getting the goalie to decommit from the shot slightly, then ripped a quick wrister past her.

Providence's  Schneider Arena

The Hockey East quarterfinals will be next weekend and the Eagles will be able to sit home and watch, along with #1 seed UNH. The semifinals and finals will be the weekend of March 7-8 at UNH.

BC hosts PC  today in the regular season finale - still a meaningful game in terms of national rankings.

The men's hockey team picked up another loss in Durham last night... make it stop?

In better news, the baseball team started the year with an 8-7 win at Stetson.

Baseball??

It's kind of a slow week in BC athletics, but this weekend makes up for it with three truckloads of action. One of this weekend's events: the start of BC baseball season. 

Yes, baseball. It's freezing outside, but it's nice and warm in Deland, Florida, where the baseball team heads this weekend for a 4-game set with Stetson University.

If you're interested in BC baseball, read EagleInsider.com on Friday  for my season preview interview with catcher Tony Sanchez.

Photo credit: BCEagles.com

Random question

Anyone know when/if we're actually ever getting a new baseball stadium?

I thought of this when reading a French assignment that mentioned 'jouer au baseball.'

Yeah, my mind is weird.

Anyone have any information on that?

That's more like it

The season ends with an 11-7 win on the back of an 8th inning grand slam by Tony Sanchez.

Thanks for reading the Eagle Log this year. Over the next few months I'll be using this space to look back on the best and worst of '07-'08.

Wake 2, BC 0

In what may be the final game I get to attend this season, the baseball team lost to Wake Forest 2-0 to assure a below .500 season. There is one game left this year - tomorrow morning at 11 AM, Senior day against the Deacons.

Terry Doyle was brilliant in his final career start for BC, showing the skill that we've long been hoping to see here at the Heights. He was arguably the better pitcher on the day, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits over 8. BC managed 8 hits off of Wake but couldn't bring a single man home.

BC got two men on in the 8th and put the leadoff runner on in the 9th but it was all for naught.

Thus, my BC-viewing season may have come to an end in very BC fashion: plenty of opportunities, but no W.

I hope to make it tomorrow. If not - well, it's been a fun year.

A good day

BC baseball vs. UConn was about the most organic baseball experience you could possibly have: a clear, sunny day; a small, quiet crowd; a basically meaningless game.

And, best of all, a wild comeback and an 11-8 BC win to make them 2-0 over the hated menace to the south.

BC lost to Wake Forest today to fall to 25-26, so they will need to win their last two games in order to finish over .500 for the year.

I'll be there, taking some more pictures. For now, enjoy these from the BC-UConn game:

From the tippety-top of Alumni Stadium

Sam Shaughnessy at bat

Overview. Nice view huh?

Back down at the parking garage

It took every ounce of restraint I had to not key this bus.



It was not a good start for the Eagles...

From the parking garage




Sam Shaughnessy strikes out. Shot from the top of Alumni Stadium.

Border War

Damn you, mother nature.

Fate did not smile upon BC's stick-and-ball teams in their quest for ACC glory.

In a bizarre interpretation of 'game times subject to change,' the ACC used persistent rain as an excuse to change a double-elimination softball tournament into a single-elimination tournament, retroactively eliminating BC and making their comeback win over Maryland about as irrelevant as yesterday's Liverpool-Tottenham English Premier League match. (2-0 win, Liverpool...huzzah - but not relevant to anything)

It's a sucky way to end a team's season. I know BC probably wasn't going to win the ACC tournament, but anyone who's ever played any sport at any level knows that you approach a single-elimination game a lot differently than a double-elimination game. That's not to say the softballers didn't give max effort against FSU - I'm sure they did - but 'anything goes' when you're facing single elimination. Thus, the mid-tournament change in formats is officially bullcrap of Italian soccer levels. (Wow, two references to another sport that is not relevant to this article - this is turning into a Bill Simmons column. I just need to throw in a Borat reference and a gratuitous shot at BC.)

The baseball team was also hurt by mother nature. Due to a number of rainouts involving ACC competitors Wake Forest and Duke, even if BC sweeps Wake this weekend to equal their number of wins, Wake gets into the tournament with a superior winning percentage. Boooooooo. This one is far less egregious than changing tournament formats in the middle of the tournament, but it still stinks.

But there is still something to play for on the diamond: it's called "Fuck UConn."

At 4 PM today, I will watch my 103rd and probably final live BC sporting event of the year, today's ballgame between the United States of America Eagles and the Communist sUeKKKonn Suckskies. Regional pride is on the line as BC looks to go 2-0 against sueconn.

Personally, since the team can't make the tournament, this will be my last home game of the year, and they are playing EVIL EVIL EVIL ukan't, I am treating this game like a combination of the ACC tournament, the College World Series, Copa America, and the premier of the movie Borat. A good time shall be had by all.

GO EAGLES, UCONN SUCKS!

Walk in the park

I witnessed BC baseball's 8-1 victory over the University of Maryland this afternoon, most notable for some comically bad defense by the Terrapins. Tomorrow: baseball at 1, softball at 1 & 3!

Congrats to BC's newest pros-

Congratulations to Matt Ryan (Atlanta), Gosder Cherilus (Detroit), and DeJuan Tribble (San Diego) for being selected in this year's NFL Draft, as well as Kevin Challenger for signing with Calgary of the CFL.

Good luck to Andre Callendar, Jamie Silva, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Johnny Ayers, and any other Eagles trying to latch on to an NFL team as a free agent. Just getting a sniff of the pros is more than 99.9% of athletes can ever imagine.

I have a feeling that despite being the lowest picked, Tribble might have made out the best of all 3. He's going to a great organization in a wonderful city with fantastic weather. Given the choice, I'm not so sure I'd like to live in Atlanta, or play for the train-wreck Detroit Lions franchise.

BC BASEBALL/SOFTBALL

I admit that I haven't really been following baseball/softball since the hockey national title. I've kind of just chilled out and enjoyed the afterglow of that.

The softball team is in the cellar of the ACC (5-13) but they are only 1 game away from jumping up 2 spots to 6th place Maryland. All 8 teams make the tournament.

Baseball just took 1-of-3 from NC State but remains 3.5 games behind Wake Forest for the final ACC tournament spot with 6 conference games to play. It looks like we'll have to wait until next year at Fenway to make our ACC tourney debut.

Baseball has a pair of homestands before the season ends - May 2-4 vs. Maryland and May 11, 13, 15-17 vs. Northeastern, UConn, and Wake Forest.

I won't be able to get to softball's next home game (Wednesday vs. UMass), but they close their season with 3 home games vs. Maryland that will prove critical for tournament positioning: a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game Sunday afternoon.

Baseball team...

defeated Northeastern today, 8-7 - with the help of a play at the plate.

BC's now 12-14. Tony Sanchez hit a HR to extend his hit streak to 23 games.

I was in the neighborhood, but didn't get a chance to see the game. I do know from previous experience, however, that Northeastern's baseball field is better than Shea.

Next up: a game @ UConn, tomorrow at 3.

Three wins

BC women's hockey player Allie Thunstrom scored the winning run in the 5th as the BC softball team took game two of a doubleheader from Holy Cross, 4-3. It was part of a doubleheader sweep, which, combined with the baseball team's simultaneous 11-2 drubbing of the male Crusaders, added up to a very productive day for the maroon and gold.

Freshman Allison Gage was extremely impressive for BC in game two, coming in to relieve Savanna Lloyd in the 3rd and going on to pitch shutout ball for the rest of the game. Taylor Peyton got the job done (as usual) in game one. Renee Ramos cranked a home run in game 2 for BC.

The baseball game featured more heavy hitting by the Eagles. BC put together an 8-run 6th, including back to back dongs by Tony Sanchez and Eric Campbell, to put the game out of reach. Kevin Moran pitched 5 innings and gave up 2 runs to earn the victory.

I had far too much fun during the softball game, as my friend Grant had a very typical Grant moment.

Holy Cross rightfielder Elizabeth Foley had a little incident in the 2nd inning, as she crashed into (and knocked over) the fence along the first base line in a valiant attempt to catch a foul ball.

Our seats were probably about 15-25 feet from the right fielder, and Grant, forgetting this, later said in a very normal, conversational tone of voice, "hey fence girl, you crashed into the fence." Foley heard and looked over in our direction, and Grant immediately said "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." She later gave a smile and a nod.

Maybe you had to be there.

First look at baseball

Going to the ballgame today was not nearly as relaxing as I'd hoped (I spent most of it pacing around, trying to get comfortable, and my hands are still defrosting), but it was fun to watch the Eagles cruise to a 7-1 victory over the Hartford Hawks, fueled by a 4-run 3rd in which Hartford's pitcher just couldn't find the strike zone.

Freshman John Leonard got the start and did an excellent job for BC, giving up a run in the first before pitching (I believe) six strong innings and earning the win. Then, Ted Ratliff came in and did the rest.

Two really basic observations:
-The team can hit the ball. They've got some players with nice looking swings, particularly Campbell and Belifori. Shaughnessy had a nice 2RBI single in the 3rd. They are going to continue to be fun to watch offensively.
-They run into a ton of outs on the basepaths. I noticed that this was a problem last year, as well, and it continued today - I recall three times off the top of my head that a BC player was thrown out for trying to sneak an extra base. There is nothing statistically worse in baseball than giving away free outs via poor baserunning (see: Emil Brown for the Oakland A's today). I hope this problem gets fixed before ACC play picks up.

The baseballers have Holy Cross at home tomorrow, then welcome the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to Shea on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'll be at the Cross game with camera in tow. I probably won't be at any of the GT games as I'll be watching hours and hours of college hockey. Next Tuesday, BC is at Northeastern, and I'll probably make an effort to be there.

While down at Shea, I also was able to run over and catch the last inning of the first softball game between BC and St. Peter's. BC edged St. P 3-2 to improve to 15-15; Taylor Peyton closed it out by forcing a pop out with the bases loaded and 2 outs. A narrow escape indeed.

When I left to get ready for intramural hockey, BC was up 2-0 in game 2, looking for its second consecutive doubleheader sweep over subpar competition (they swept Sacred Heart over the weekend).

Speaking of intramural hockey, I have to go get suited up now. Woo hoo.

Random, non-hockey update

Charlie Davies didn't really earn himself many supporters on Saturday night during the US's 1-0 win over Honduras in Olympic qualifying, as he missed a penalty kick late in the first half. (I wonder how anyone ever misses a penalty kick in soccer.)

Actual text message I received from a friend (obviously, not a BC fan): "Charlie Davies is fucking worthless, he just missed a fucking penalty."

He semi-redeemed himself later in the game, earning another penalty kick in the 2nd half which he wisely elected not to take, letting Eddie Gaven do the honors of stuffing it home instead.

It appears that Charlie has some sort of Swedish admirer, as whoever made this YouTube video chose Alicia Keys' "No One" as the background music to this compilation of Davies highlights from his club team, Hammarby IF. Hooray for the Boston College shoutout in Swedish!



Aren't BC's soccer jerseys sweet? I would buy one if they sold them at the bookstore.

On another non-hockey note, the baseball team took 2-of-3 from #24 Clemson this weekend. That's awesome for them. However, my rule of 'as long as I'm being pelted by sleet/snow/freezing rain, I can't really think too much about baseball' continues to apply here. I'm sure I'll get into it once the home ACC season cranks up.

Dogged by NU again

I have seen BC's men's hockey team play Northeastern in 5 regular season games during my 2 years as a student. We won the first, 5-2 - the season opener of my freshman year. Since then, things have gone downhill. In December of '06, we tied at NU after giving up a goal with 2 seconds left; in January of '07, we lost in overtime at Matthews Arena; and twice this season we lost to the Huskies in OT at Conte.

I think I taking on the character of the lifeless crowd around me, as I didn't get particularly emotional about the game tonight. When Mike Brennan's bullet goal whizzed by Brad Thiessen with under 5 minutes to go to force OT, I didn't really have much of a reaction. I was actually kind of stunned that they pulled even (but not at all surprised that they failed to gain any momentum from the tying goal).

John Muse had a fantastic game for the most part, except for the one shot by which his performance will be remembered. He gave up an absolute squeaker between his pads for NU's 2nd goal, which gave the Huskies a 2-1 lead early in the 3rd period. Really heartbreaking for John after he made 3 or 4 spectacular saves in the 2nd period to keep the game tied.

After the Eagles' initial burst (Price scored at :11 of the first period), Northeastern semi-dominated for the rest of the first period and for most of the third period. I say 'semi-dominated' because although they had most of the puck possession and the Eagles had precious little time in the attacking zone, the Huskies didn't really look particularly threatening with the puck. A lot of meaningless passing around in the offensive zone, trying to set up plays that never developed.

It was, to be frank, one of the most uninspiring hockey games I've ever seen. Neither team looked like they wanted to be there. Northeastern finally found another gear in OT and BC did not match the Huskies' momentum. NU outshot BC 6-1 in overtime and knocked in the winner on a second chance effort... voila, game over, season further damaged.

*

As expected, the women's basketball team lost to Maryland tonight. But there was much to be proud of: the Eagles lost 93-81 (not bad) and Mickel "THREEEE-Co" Picco knocked down seven three pointers en route to a (of course) 33 point total for the night. That's really impressive. Congrats to her and good luck to the (most likely) NIT-bound Eagles.

*

The baseball team lost 10-7 to #2 Miami, which wasn't a surprise, but it finished off a nice little trifecta. Is it football season yet?