Boston College
Virginia Tech
Baseball Defeats Virginia Tech To Take Over BIG EAST Lead
May 12, 2002 | Baseball
May 12, 2002
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The stage is now set. Following Boston College's 2-0 victory over Virginia Tech on Sunday afternoon, the baseball team is only one conference win away from going back to the BIG EAST tournament.
The last opponent Boston College shut out was William & Mary back on February 24, 2001, when the Eagles also won by a score of 2-0. The last time the Eagles blanked a BIG EAST foe was back on May 16, 1999, when Steve Langone led BC to a 5-0 win over West Virginia. Langone is now playing for the Jacksonville Suns in Double-A baseball.
The Eagles will have their opportunity to seal the deal when it takes on conference power Notre Dame at 6 p.m. Friday, May 17, in Notre Dame, Ind. for the first of three games. Even if Boston College (29-19, 15-8) was to lose all three games to the Notre Dame, one loss by Connecticut would solidify the Eagles' berth in the conference tournament. The BIG EAST tournament will be held May 23-25 in Bridgewater, N.J. If the Eagles win two-of-three games against the Irish and Virginia Tech loses at least one, they will claim their first-ever BIG EAST regular season championship.
Since the Eagles won two-of-three games against the Hokies, Boston College holds the head-to-head against Virginia Tech (27-24, 15-8 BIG EAST) if the two teams were to finish with identical records in the conference. The Hokies conclude its conference regular season next weekend when they take on West Virginia in Blacksburg, Va.
In Sunday's contest, which lasted only 1:56, pitcher Kevin Shepard threw his best game of his young collegiate career. The freshman finished the game throwing 124 pitches in earning the complete-game shut out. Shepard (5-2) allowed only three hits, two walks while striking out five Virginia Tech batters. His last strikeout was the final out of the game, when he struck out catcher Jeff English swinging.
Virginia Tech starting pitcher Chip Runyon (5-7) was solid despite picking up his seventh loss of the season. The senior threw eight complete innings allowing only six hits, two runs (both earned), three walks while striking out seven Boston College batters.
Runyon allowed only one run in the first and one in the third, but besides that was solid the entire game. Boston College scored its first run of the game when freshman Drew Locke singled through the right side of the infield, which allowed left fielder Neal McCarthy to score from second base.
The only other run came when second baseman Josh DiScipio scored following a single to right field by senior Brian Macchi. The run almost did not happen as Virginia Tech right fielder Brian Copeland just missed making a lunging grab, which would have been the third out of the inning.
The Hokies biggest scoring threat came in the seventh inning when they had two runners on with zero outs. With designated hitter Wyatt Toregas on second and center fielder Brad Bauder on first, Shepard was able to get two-consecutive fly outs and a strikeout to end the threat.
Macchi finished the game going 3-for-4 from the plate with the one RBI. Durkin and McCarthy joined Locke in recording the other three hits.
Boston College returns to action at 6 p.m. Tuesday when it travels to take on Vermont in Burlington, Vt.
