Photo by: Joshua McCoy
Fall Ball Comes to Close with Exciting Sonny Nictakis World Series
October 26, 2016 | Baseball
Maroon tops Gold in a four-game series
Overall Stats
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Boston College baseball team closed out its fall practices with its annual intrasquad series, named the Sonny Nictakis World Series in honor of the former two-time captain who passed away after a battle with Hodgkin's disease in the summer of 2000.
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After the first game ended in a 4-4 tie, a three-game series took place to decide the winner of the fall. Gold took game one in five innings but Maroon came back to win games two and three in six innings each to win the series.
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Sophomore Jake Alu led the way at the plate going 6-for-15 with three runs, three doubles and three RBIs in the four games. He also pitched an inning and struck out two. Sophomore Dominic Hardaway drove in five runs to lead the Eagles. Freshman Dante Baldelli and junior Jake Palomaki both showed their patience at the plate, drawing five walks apiece.
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Sophomore RHP Jacob Stevens – a freshman All-American in 2016 and the Eagles' Friday night starter – did not allow a run in 4.1 innings. He struck out a team-high six. Junior RHP Bobby Skogsbergh allowed two runs over six innings – two appearances – while sophomore RHP Thomas Lane (4.0 IP), junior RHP Brian Rapp (4.0 IP)  and sophomore LHP Zach Stromberg (6.0 IP) all recorded five Ks in their starts.
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Game One: 4-4 (6 innings) | Box Score
Game Two –Gold Wins, 6-5 (5 innings) | Box Score
Game Three – Maroon Wins, 4-3 (6 innings) | Box Score
Game Four – Maroon Wins, 10-4 (6 innings) | Box Score
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Boston College baseball team closed out its fall practices with its annual intrasquad series, named the Sonny Nictakis World Series in honor of the former two-time captain who passed away after a battle with Hodgkin's disease in the summer of 2000.
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After the first game ended in a 4-4 tie, a three-game series took place to decide the winner of the fall. Gold took game one in five innings but Maroon came back to win games two and three in six innings each to win the series.
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Sophomore Jake Alu led the way at the plate going 6-for-15 with three runs, three doubles and three RBIs in the four games. He also pitched an inning and struck out two. Sophomore Dominic Hardaway drove in five runs to lead the Eagles. Freshman Dante Baldelli and junior Jake Palomaki both showed their patience at the plate, drawing five walks apiece.
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Sophomore RHP Jacob Stevens – a freshman All-American in 2016 and the Eagles' Friday night starter – did not allow a run in 4.1 innings. He struck out a team-high six. Junior RHP Bobby Skogsbergh allowed two runs over six innings – two appearances – while sophomore RHP Thomas Lane (4.0 IP), junior RHP Brian Rapp (4.0 IP)  and sophomore LHP Zach Stromberg (6.0 IP) all recorded five Ks in their starts.
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Game One: 4-4 (6 innings) | Box Score
- The game started as a pitchers' duel as neither team scored until the fourth. Maroon plated the first runs off junior LHP Carmen Giampetruzzi. Freshman Jake Goodreau reached on a wild pitch after he struck out. With two outs, Palomaki walked and Alu hit a single to left to score Goodreau. Palomaki was gunned down at the plate to end the inning.
- Gold took the lead after Skogsbergh came out of the game. The right-hander retired the final 10 batters he faced. Senior Chris Balogh and freshman Jack Cunningham drew back to back walks off redshirt freshman RHP Austin Batchelor. They moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Junior Donovan Casey plated them with a double to left. He then moved to third on a wild pitch and senior Johnny Adams drove him in with a ball back to the mound. With Adams safe at first, senior Michael Strem tallied an infield single to short and sophomore Gian Martellini drew a walk to load the bases. Junior Anthony Maselli walked to bring in another run. Stevens entered the game and got back to back Ks to get Maroon out of the inning.
- Freshman RHP Mikey Giordano came into the game in the sixth for Gold but Maroon had other plans. Goodreau was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases and Alu hit a grounder to second to score one. Another walk reloaded the bases and a run came home on a wild pitch. Hardaway singled to left to plate the tying run. Giordano got a 463 double play to end the inning and the game, as it was called due to darkness.
Game Two –Gold Wins, 6-5 (5 innings) | Box Score
- Gold took an early 1-0 lead as Casey led off with a triple to left center to start the game. Adams drove him on a grounder to short before senior right-handed starter Luke Fernandes forced two fly balls to get out of the inning.
- Maroon came back to score two in the inning to take the lead. Palomaki led off with a walk and moved to second on a stolen base. Hardaway tripled to right to plate a run and then scored on passed ball.
- Anthony Maselli tied the game for Gold with a solo shot over the fence in right center.
- Gold went back up in the fourth. Martellini started the inning with a single through the left side before Fernandes got a strikeout looking. Junior Scott Braren drew a walk and Balogh tripled to deep center to score both runners. Cunningham chopped one over the mound to plate Balogh. Cunningham moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a stolen base. He came home when catcher Goodreau overthrew the third-base bag on the steal attempt. Stevens entered the game and gave up a single before getting a groundout and strikeout to end the inning.
- Maroon cut the lead to one in the bottom of the inning. Freshman Brian Dempsey led off with base hit to right and Goodreau reached on a fielding error at first. Freshman Joe Suozzi homered to deep left center to make it a 6-5 game. Gold starter RHP Jack Nelson got a fly ball for the first out before Alu doubled to left. He stole third but was thrown out at the plate on an attempted sac bunt. Nelson ended the inning with a strikeout looking.
- Alu pitched a 123 fifth with two strikeouts.
- Now on the mound, Cunningham started the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back walks. Suozzi moved runners into scoring position with a sacrifice. Palomaki was intentionally walked to load the bases for a force out. Cunningham got Alu to pop out for the second out and then Baldelli to ground out to end the game and give Gold the 1-0 advantage in the series.
Game Three – Maroon Wins, 4-3 (6 innings) | Box Score
- Gold got on the board first, scoring a run in the first inning with Rapp on the mound. With two outs, Adams singled up the middle. Martellini followed with a single of his own through the right side. The ball slipped under the glove of right fielder Hardaway, allowing Adams to score.
- Gold added two more in the third to take a 3-0 lead. Adams singled again and Maselli drew a walk to put two on. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch and Braren brought them in with a base hit to left. Rapp ended the inning with a strikeout looking.
- Maroon tied the game in the fourth. With one down, Baldelli tripled to center. Suozzi plated him with a base hit to right. After Stromberg got a strikeout looking, Goodreau homered over the right-field fence to knot the game at three. A grounder ended the inning.
- Maroon took the game in the sixth. With two outs, Goodreau doubled to left center. Junior Mitch Bigras knocked in pitch runner Baldelli with a base hit to right center. In the bottom of the inning, Stevens got two pop flies before allowing a walk. He shut down Gold with a strikeout looking.
Game Four – Maroon Wins, 10-4 (6 innings) | Box Score
- Maroon jumped out to an early lead in the first with freshman RHP Matt Gill on the mound. Alu hit a one-out double and moved to third on a wild pitch. He scored on a balk. Baldelli walked but Martellini threw him out trying to steal second to end the inning.
- Gold answered in the second to tie the game. Maselli led off with a single and starter Lane hit Braren with a pitch to put two on. Maselli advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a groundout by Cunningham.
- Gold added a run in the third to take a 2-1 lead. Adams and Strem drew back-to-back walks to start the inning before Martellini grounded into a 643 double play. A passed ball scored Adams from third before Lane got Braren to ground out back to the mound.
- Maroon scored five in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-2 lead. Hardaway led off with a single and with one down, Alu plated him with a double to center. Baldelli drew a walk and Suozzi scored him with a double of his own. Dempsey scored Suozzi with a scorcher to third and Goodreau hit one to center for an RBI. With Dempsey on third, Bigras hit a sac fly to left for Maroon's fifth run of the inning. Gill got out of the inning with a strikeout.
- Gold got two back in the fifth with Skogsbergh on in relief. Adams led off with a base hit to center and Strem plated him with a triple to left center. Martellini grounded out to bring in Strem. Skogsbergh forced another groundout and a fly ball to end the inning.
- Maroon added four more in the bottom of the inning with Giampetruzzi on the mound. Dempsey hit a one-out single up the middle and Goodreau followed with a walk. With two on and two outs, Hardaway tripled to center field to drive in both runners. He scored on a double by Palomaki. Alu hit a high chopper to second and was able to beat the throw for an infield single. Palomaki hustled around third and scored as the throw went to first. Â
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