Sunday, February 28
Port Charlotte, Fla.
2:30 PM
Boston College
7-0
11
vs
10
Villanova
1-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
R
H
E
Boston College
1
0
2
4
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
11
15
3
Villanova
3
1
3
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
10
14
2
Photo by: John Quackenbos
12-Inning Victory Propels Eagles to Historic 7-0 Start
February 28, 2016 | Baseball
Nicklas throws the final 2.1 innings, setting up the Eagles up for victory
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Boston College 11, Villanova 10 (12 innings)
Records: Boston College (7-0) vs. Villanova (1-5)
Location: Port Charlotte, Fla.
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BC HIGHLIGHTS
KEY PLAYS
HOW IT HAPPENED
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
UP NEXT
The Eagles will play the Red Sox for the 26th time in the annual seven-inning exhibition game at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 29 at 1:05 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NESN and WEEI 850 AM.
Score: Boston College 11, Villanova 10 (12 innings)
Records: Boston College (7-0) vs. Villanova (1-5)
Location: Port Charlotte, Fla.
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BC HIGHLIGHTS
- Senior right-hand reliever John Nicklas picked up his first win of the season by keeping Villanova off the scoreboard for the final 2.1 innings. He allowed just one hit and one walk while tying a career high with four strikeouts in his extra-innings outing.
- Sophomore Jake Palomaki was perfect at the plate, going 5-for-5 with two walks, scoring three times and driving in three. He plated what was the go-ahead run in the eighth.
- Junior Nick Sciortino scored the game-winning run on a 3-for-4 day with three runs, two RBIs, two walks and a runner caught steal. He also drove in what was the go-ahead run in the fifth as the Eagles came back from a four-run deficit.
- In his first two career at bats, freshman Dominic Hardaway recorded two doubles. He went on to have a 2-for-4 day with two runs and a walk.
KEY PLAYS
- Sciortino scored on a passed ball in the top of the 12th inning to put the Eagles on top. He drew a two-out walk and advanced to third on a single by sophomore Mitch Bigras.
- Nicklas secured the BC win as he left runners on first and second by ending the game with a strikeout looking. Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Eagles jumped up early right away, scoring a run in the top of the first with no outs. Palomaki drew a walk to lead off the game. Senior Gabriel Hernandez plated him with a double to left center.
- The Wildcats scored three in the bottom of the inning to take a two-run lead. Â They loaded the bases on a single and two walks and Adam Goss cleared them with a two-out double to left field.
- Villanova added another run in the second as Brandon Campos started the inning with a walk, moved over on a sac bunt and a double and scored when Eric Lowe grounded out to short.
- The Eagles got two back in the third off the bat of junior Michael Strem. Palomaki reached on a bunt single, moved to second on a wild pitch and stole third. Sophomore Donovan Casey drew a walk on a nine-pitch at bat and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Strem drove them both in with a single up the middle.
- Villanova took a 7-3 lead in the third before the Eagles came back to tie it in the fourth. With one on, Kevin Jewitt doubled to left to score a run before senior left-handed starter Jesse Adams was lifted for freshman Thomas Lane. The righty loaded the bases with a hit by pitch and walk but got two quick outs with Ks. Donovan May singled to score two before Lane ended the inning with his third strikeout.
- The Eagles tied the game in the fourth, scoring four runs on four hits. Hardaway led off with a double and Sciortino drove him in with a base hit to center. Sophomore Anthony Maselli singled to center and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch before RHP Trevino Rodriguez came on in relief. Palomaki came through with a base hit to right to score both runners and moved up to second when the right fielder bobbled the ball. A grounder moved him to third and he crossed the plate on senior Joe Cronin's sac fly.
- BC took the lead the following inning with two down. Hardaway drew a walk and Sciortino singled to right. Hardaway sped around the bases to score from first and give BC the lead.
- With the Wildcats threatening, the Eagles shut them down on the base path. After a one-out single in the fifth, Sciortino gunned down the runner trying to take second and left fielder Hernandez got David Gulati trying to stretch a double into a triple to end the inning.
- Villanova tied the game in the seventh as Lane gave up back-to-back singles with one down and freshman RHP John Witkowski came on in relief. Emmanuel Morris hit a sac fly to plate the tying run before a fly to center ended the inning.
- The Eagles retook the lead in the eighth facing new pitcher RHP Kagan Richardson. Hardaway led off with a double and moved to third when Sciortino bunted for a base hit. Palomaki gave the Eagles the lead with a single to right center. Â Sciortino, who had moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on Palomaki's hit, scored when shortstop Lowe's throw to home sailed over the catcher's head as the Cats attempted to throw him out at the plate.
- Nova tied the game at 10 in the bottom half of the inning with sophomore RHP Brian Rapp on the mound. After striking out the first batter, Rapp gave up back-to-back singles and Todd Czinege hit a chopper to short, which bounced over junior shortstop Johnny Adams' head to score a run. Freshman LHP Dan Metzdorf surrendered a hit to Max Beerman, which scored the tying run and sophomore RHP Donovan Casey – also the designated hitter in the game – entered the game and retired the two batters he faced to keep the game knotted at 10.
- The contest stayed that way until the 12th inning with RHP Conor McCarthy on the mound as Sciortino drew a walk with two outs and Bigras moved him to third with a single up the middle. With Palomaki at the plate, McCarthy's throw got past catcher Morris, allowing Sciortino to score the winning run.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Boston College starts the season 7-0 for the first time in program history, dating back to 1974.
- The Eagles trailed for the first time in 2016 season.
- Eight different BC pitchers were used in the victory.
- Sophomore Donovan Casey career-long hit streak came to an end at 12 games, which tied for 11th in BC record books (dating back to 2005).
- The 12-inning victory marked the second time the Eagles defeated Villanova in extras in the Snowbird Classic as they won a 7-6 game in 11 in 2014.
- What was not in the box score was the Eagles and Wildcats had to move fields after the 10th inning as the one they were playing on at the Port Charlotte Regional Park did not have lights. BC and Nova moved to another field at the same complex to finish the game.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will play the Red Sox for the 26th time in the annual seven-inning exhibition game at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 29 at 1:05 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NESN and WEEI 850 AM.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nicklas, John (1-0)
L: MCCARTHY, Conor (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Hernandez, Gabriel 1 ; Hardaway, Dominic 2
RBI: Palomaki, Jake 3 ; Hernandez, Gabriel 1 ; Cronin, Joe 1 ; Strem, Michael 2 ; Sciortino, Nick 2
SH: Casey, Donovan 1
SF: Cronin, Joe 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Palomaki, Jake 3 ; Casey, Donovan 1 ; Hardaway, Dominic 3 ; Sciortino, Nick 3 ; Maselli, Anthony 1
SB: Palomaki, Jake 2
CS: Palomaki, Jake 2
Batting:
2B: MAY, Donovan 1 ; CZINEGE, Todd 1 ; JEWITT, Kevin 1 ; GOSS, Adam 1 ; GULATI, David 1
RBI: MAY, Donovan 2 ; LOWE, Eric 1 ; CZINEGE, Todd 1 ; BEERMANN, Max 1 ; JEWITT, Kevin 1 ; GOSS, Adam 3 ; MORRIS, Emmanuel 1
SH: ACTON, Brady 1 ; GULATI, David 1
SF: MORRIS, Emmanuel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MAY, Donovan 1 ; LOWE, Eric 2 ; BEERMANN, Max 2 ; JEWITT, Kevin 3 ; GOSS, Adam 1 ; CAMPOS, Brandon 1
SB: BEERMANN, Max 1
CS: CAMPOS, Brandon 1
HBP: GOSS, Adam 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
3
H
5
RBI
3
AB
4
R
3
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
AB
7
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
LHP
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INF
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1B/LHP
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OF/RHP
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INF
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RHP
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INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball
UT
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RHP
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