By Nate Owen, News Staff
The baseball team’s home opener started much earlier than anyone expected, and with a 12-inning, 3-hour and 35-minute, marathon between Boston College and Northeastern, it probably came to a close much later than expected as well.
Northeastern was originally scheduled to make its debut at Friedman Diamond next Monday against Connecticut.
‘When teams lose games to the weather this time of year and when you see the weather forecast, you can throw a game in,’ said head coach Neil McPhee of the rearranged schedule.
Unfortunately for the Huskies, who beat the New Jersey Institute of Technology in a 14-inning game Sunday, another late finish didn’t translate to a win, as the Eagles scraped across a run in the top of the 12th to emerge with a 6-5 win.
The Huskies’ jumped on Eagles starter Pat Dean early and often, scoring four runs in the first.
Senior second baseman James Donaldson delivered the biggest blow of the inning, a two-run single to left. Junior first baseman Brandon Stokes (3-for-4) capped off the scoring with an RBI single.
NU (9-5)’ added a fifth run in the second off BC reliever Mike Dennhardt.’
That would be all the Huskies could muster in the game, as the Eagle’s bullpen held them in check for the remaining 10 innings, including six two-hit innings by Kevin Moran.
For the second straight outing, NU sophomore JT Ross turned in a solid performance on the mound.
‘ ‘JT’s done a terrific job so far this year,’ McPhee said. ‘Every game out, now two games in a row, he’s pitched very well.’
‘ The Eagles (11-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference)’ scored four runs in the third to pull to within one.’ A two-run single by first baseman Mike Belifore was one of the only hard hit balls of the inning, as Ross (seven innings, six strikeouts, one earned run) was plagued by two walks, a wild pitch and a throwing error by senior catcher and co-captain Frank Pesanello.
Ross settled down and kept the Eagles off the board until the seventh, when a sacrifice fly by center fielder Robbie Anston tied the game.
Junior Charly Bashara and senior Russ Lloyd combined to hold BC scoreless for 3 and one-third-innings. Lloyd ended a potential Eagle rally in the 10th, snaring a line drive off the bat of left fielder Andrew Lawrence ticketed for center field, leaving the bases loaded.
Boston College scraped across a run in the 12th off freshman Andrew Leenhouts (0-1, 1.86). The Eagles loaded the bases, and with two outs, Leenhouts hit pinch hitter Henry Darling to force in the go-ahead run.
Northeastern’ threatened in the bottom of the inning against Belifore (1-0 4.35), who moved from’ first’ base to the mound and threw a career-high 3 and two-third-innings with seven strikeouts. In front of a large crowd of major league scouts, he also finished 2-for-5 with two RBI at the plate.
Junior center fielder David Gustafson (2-for-6) doubled and Pesanello was intentionally walked and took second on defensive indifference, but sophomore left fielder Jeff Dunlap went down swinging to end the game.
‘We played a good baseball game today and we played against a team that beat Florida State, the No. 6 team in the country when they beat them [March 6 to March 8] in two out of three games,’ McPhee said. ‘This is a legit ACC program. They are on an absolutely fully funded program with every amenity and they show it on the field. Yet we were nose to nose with them,’
Northeastern’ starts conference play this week when they travel to reigning conference champion James Madison (12-8).
‘ Junior Ryan Quigley (1-1 3.78) is slated to start the series opener Friday, followed by senior co-captain Jeff Thomson (1-2 6.14) Saturday and sophomore Les Williams (0-0, 4.30) on Sunday.
