Boston College Athletics
Boston College
Missouri
Spatola Powers Baseball Past Missouri, 14-6
February 28, 2010 | Baseball
Feb. 28, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. - Senior John Spatola led an offensive outburst with two home runs and seven RBI as the Boston College baseball team beat Missouri, 14-6, Sunday at Auburn's Plainsman Park.
Spatola finished the day 3-for-4 with those two homers and a double. It marked the first time in his career that he had a multiple home run game and his seven RBI were a career high.
Sophomore Anthony Melchionda went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs and sophomore Matt Hamlet drove in two runs. Senior Robbie Anston went 2-for-4 with two walks, two triples, an RBI and three runs. It was the first time he hit two triples in one game. Sophomore Marc Perdios added his first home run since 2008.
Junior Kevin Moran got the win after pitching 4.1 innings of relief and allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out three batters and walked two. Junior Nate Bayuk and senior Chris Kowalski finished the game and combined to throw 3.1 innings while allowing just four base runners.
BC put up four runs in the top of the first to jump out to a quick lead. Anston led off with a triple to the gap in right and then Hamlet hit a grounder to the shortstop that scored him. Hamlet was picked off, but junior Mickey Wiswall walked on four pitches to get on base.
Melchionda singled to the opposite field to put two men on and then Spatola launched a 2-2 offering into the BC bullpen to put the Eagles on top 4-0.
Missouri got on the board in the bottom of the second with three runs. Aaron Senne led off with a double down the line in left and then Andrew Thigpen and Jesse Santo drew walks to load the bases with one out. Michael Liberto sent a pitch back up the middle for a single and two runs and then Michael LaFleur also had an RBI single to cut the deficit to a single run, 4-3.
Senne then tied the game in the third inning when he took a 1-0 pitch for an opposite field home run.
Boston College regained the lead in the top of the fourth with six runs - its biggest inning of the season. The Eagles batted around in the inning and all of the runs were scored with two outs. Sophomore Brad Zapenas got on thanks to an error by the third baseman and then Anston walked to put a pair aboard. Hamlet grounded out but put both runners in scoring position and then Wiswall took a pitch on the side to load the bases. Melchionda delivered a two RBI single with a full count to give the lead back to the Eagles.
Spatola stepped to the plate, worked the count full and sent his second round-tripper of the day over the wall in right field to push the lead to 9-4. Perdios got in on the action and hit a 1-2 offering off the video board in left center on the next at-bat for BC's 10th run.
The Tigers got two runs back in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to four runs. Brett Nicholas doubled down the third base line on an 0-2 count to leadoff and then Jonah Schmidt singled up the middle for a run. Schmidt got to second on a wild pitch and then got to third on a groundout. Thigpen drove him home with a groundout to short to make it 10-6.
BC added four insurance runs in the eighth with the help of three consecutive triples. Zapenas singled through the left side to leadoff and then Anston sent a ball to the corner in left center for a triple that brought Zapenas all the way around to score. Hamlet followed suit with a triple of his own down the line in right for another run to make it 12-6. Wiswall then hit the base off the wall in center for his own triple and Spatola doubled to right for the Eagles' 14th run.
Nicholas, Senne and Liberto each had two hits for the Tigers. Nicholas and Senne had doubles and Liberto drove in two runs.
The Eagles fly back home before traveling to Fort Myers, Fla. to take on the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. The game is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at City of Palms Park.
