Photo by: John Quackenbos
Brighton Opens With A Bang - And Lights
March 21, 2018 | Baseball, #ForBoston Files
An 18-inning marathon unintentionally became BC's first home night game.
It's hard to not be romantic about baseball. The sport is built by its lore and a long history of milestones help construct a legacy connecting to the past. So when Boston College released its 2018 schedule, the first game at the new Brighton Baseball Field was unquestionably etching itself as one of those stories.
Instead, what occurred became instant legend. A non-conference game against a city rival became an epic marathon, and result aside (Northeastern won, 7-4, in 18 innings), the Eagles walked away with a game that will long be remembered.
"It's awesome that we were able to throw the lights on and play here," head coach Mike Gambino said. "Without this park, we're not able to play at 2:30 p.m. much less at 7:30 p.m. So it is really just an awesome thing. There were so many people at the university involved in this, from Father Leahy on down through the athletics department to donors and alumni, and I wish they could've seen the looks on the boys' faces when they walked in here. I know it was a long road, and I wish we could've gotten a better result. But that was a good baseball game. Two teams played great for 18 innings."
Save for a December walkthrough, Tuesday was the first time the baseball team walked through its new home. Signs of ongoing construction dotted the landscape, but it did nothing to diminish the excitement for the players or the 300-plus fans who braved the cold and wind to witness the stadium's soft opening.
"It's special to be out here," senior captain Jake Palomaki said. "It's a beautiful ballpark and a long time coming. We soaked it all in and it's unbelievable. It left me speechless.
"It's actually dry," Palomaki continued with a little laugh. "The balls got into the gaps fast and it didn't just die when you hit it into the hole."
But then the game itself took on a completely different outlook after the Eagles rallied from behind twice during regulation. Junior Gian Martellini's sacrifice fly scored Palomaki in the fourth to bring BC back from a 1-0 deficit but Northeastern scored twice in the fifth to retake the lead.
It forced the Eagles to claw back almost immediately, which they did when sophomore Jack Cunningham hit an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth and junior Jake Alu singled up the middle in the bottom of the fifth to score freshmen Chris Galland and sophomore Dante Baldelli, respectively.
Despite both teams' ability to put runners in scoring position, the game extended into the late afternoon. Both Northeastern and BC had chances in the ninth but were retired. Later, the Huskies put themselves in a position to win with a run in the top of the 14th, but BC again rallied behind Palomaki, whose RBI single kept the game alive.
"They scored that run in the 14th and we tied it up with a hit," Gambino said. "That's so hard to do. So you have to just keep it simple - throw strike one or have a great at bat."
Northeastern eventually outlasted BC, scoring three runs in the top of the 18th. Even then, BC nearly rallied, loading the bases and putting a potential winning run at the plate before the Huskies retired senior Anthony Maselli for the final out of a nearly five-and-a-half hour baseball game.
"I thought we played great," Gambino said. "In 18 innings, we had five or six opportunities to end the game, same as (Northeastern) had five or six opportunities to end the game. When you're down three in the 18th, you just shut down and go home, right? But we had the tying run (on base). That was a complete fight, so I was really proud of (our effort)."
"Our game plan is always to have a great at bat, whether it's in the first or the 18th," Palomaki said. "We got the winning run to the plate in the last inning, which is all we can do (in that situation)."
That BC lost did nothing to overshadow what the game meant for the program. It unexpectedly became the first night home game for the Eagles and it joined the 25-inning game against Texas in 2009 - the longest in NCAA history - in the program's annals.
"It was cool (to turn the lights on)," Palomaki said. "At (Shea Field), we would have had to shut it down after 14 because of darkness, but here, we could go all night. We can practice at night too, so it was just awesome."
The Eagles return to Brighton this weekend when they host their first ACC series against Virginia Tech. The three-game series kicks off on Friday with a 4 p.m. start.
Instead, what occurred became instant legend. A non-conference game against a city rival became an epic marathon, and result aside (Northeastern won, 7-4, in 18 innings), the Eagles walked away with a game that will long be remembered.
"It's awesome that we were able to throw the lights on and play here," head coach Mike Gambino said. "Without this park, we're not able to play at 2:30 p.m. much less at 7:30 p.m. So it is really just an awesome thing. There were so many people at the university involved in this, from Father Leahy on down through the athletics department to donors and alumni, and I wish they could've seen the looks on the boys' faces when they walked in here. I know it was a long road, and I wish we could've gotten a better result. But that was a good baseball game. Two teams played great for 18 innings."
Save for a December walkthrough, Tuesday was the first time the baseball team walked through its new home. Signs of ongoing construction dotted the landscape, but it did nothing to diminish the excitement for the players or the 300-plus fans who braved the cold and wind to witness the stadium's soft opening.
"It's special to be out here," senior captain Jake Palomaki said. "It's a beautiful ballpark and a long time coming. We soaked it all in and it's unbelievable. It left me speechless.
"It's actually dry," Palomaki continued with a little laugh. "The balls got into the gaps fast and it didn't just die when you hit it into the hole."
But then the game itself took on a completely different outlook after the Eagles rallied from behind twice during regulation. Junior Gian Martellini's sacrifice fly scored Palomaki in the fourth to bring BC back from a 1-0 deficit but Northeastern scored twice in the fifth to retake the lead.
It forced the Eagles to claw back almost immediately, which they did when sophomore Jack Cunningham hit an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth and junior Jake Alu singled up the middle in the bottom of the fifth to score freshmen Chris Galland and sophomore Dante Baldelli, respectively.
Despite both teams' ability to put runners in scoring position, the game extended into the late afternoon. Both Northeastern and BC had chances in the ninth but were retired. Later, the Huskies put themselves in a position to win with a run in the top of the 14th, but BC again rallied behind Palomaki, whose RBI single kept the game alive.
"They scored that run in the 14th and we tied it up with a hit," Gambino said. "That's so hard to do. So you have to just keep it simple - throw strike one or have a great at bat."
Northeastern eventually outlasted BC, scoring three runs in the top of the 18th. Even then, BC nearly rallied, loading the bases and putting a potential winning run at the plate before the Huskies retired senior Anthony Maselli for the final out of a nearly five-and-a-half hour baseball game.
"I thought we played great," Gambino said. "In 18 innings, we had five or six opportunities to end the game, same as (Northeastern) had five or six opportunities to end the game. When you're down three in the 18th, you just shut down and go home, right? But we had the tying run (on base). That was a complete fight, so I was really proud of (our effort)."
"Our game plan is always to have a great at bat, whether it's in the first or the 18th," Palomaki said. "We got the winning run to the plate in the last inning, which is all we can do (in that situation)."
That BC lost did nothing to overshadow what the game meant for the program. It unexpectedly became the first night home game for the Eagles and it joined the 25-inning game against Texas in 2009 - the longest in NCAA history - in the program's annals.
"It was cool (to turn the lights on)," Palomaki said. "At (Shea Field), we would have had to shut it down after 14 because of darkness, but here, we could go all night. We can practice at night too, so it was just awesome."
The Eagles return to Brighton this weekend when they host their first ACC series against Virginia Tech. The three-game series kicks off on Friday with a 4 p.m. start.
Players Mentioned
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