Birdball stays alive in Athens with win over LIU
Not dead yet.
Boston College bounced back after a huge missed opportunity on Friday and took care of business on Saturday, beating LIU 8-4 to extend the season for at least one more day.
The Eagles will play Liberty again at noon on Sunday. If the Eagles win that game, they’d play the Georgia at 5:00 p.m. If BC somehow won that game, then a winner-take-all game vs. the Bulldogs for the regional would take place on Monday.
The Eagles wasted little time getting back to their ways, plating one in the top of the first. Julio Solier stayed hot and ripped a lead off double to center that bounced in and out of CF’s glove. After a sac bunt by Ty Mainolfi, Nick Wang laced an RBI single. Another frozen rope line drive to center field two pitches later was caught and Wang was doubled off at first.
Tyler Mudd sat LIU down 1-2-3 and BC scored three more runs in the second for a quick 4-0 lead.
The ‘Birdball’ style that had been so successful for the Eagles was in full effect.
Luke Gallo started it with a walk, Kyle Wolff singled, Gunnar Johnson grounded out to second, moving the runners to second and third. A safety squeeze for Ben Williams plated Gallo. A few pitches later, Carter Hendrickson launched a two-run homer to left, just his second of the season to make it 4-0.
Mudd gave up his first hit with one out in the third – a single to center – but otherwise he was in complete control.
In the top of the fourth, BC added three more runs for a 7-0 lead. A Wolff one-out single and a two-out walk for Ben Williams soon led to a bases loaded situation when Hendrickson had an infield single down the third base line. Julio Solier was hit by a pitch to drive in the fifth run and Mainolfi ripped a two-run single to left.
In the bottom of the inning, Interdonato was asked during his ESPN interview what had changed over the last 24 hours.
“That was a throat punch yesterday,” he said. “That was a great game, maybe the best game of the tournament yesterday, honestly. And I think our guys went from sad to pissed off, is what happened over night. That’s basically what happened. Yesterday was a pretty tough postgame meeting, but this morning these guys were ready to go.”
Jack Toomey hit BC’s fifth home run of the weekend to lead off the fifth, making it 8-0. The Sharks finally caught a Mudd mistake, getting a solo homer to left with two outs in the bottom of the inning to make it a seven-run game.
Mudd continued to mow down LIU hitters, racking up 10 strikeouts in seven innings of three-hit ball. A true ace-like performance when BC needed it most.
Mudd did into trouble in the eighth, giving up a three run homer and then a single, prompting Interdonato to pull him for Chase Hartsell. Hartsell walked his only batter as Kyle Kipp came on. Kipp got two huge strikeouts looking. Kipp then shut the door in the ninth, giving the Eagles at least another day together.
