Pitching Falters as Eagles Fall to Butler, 12-10

Cronin doubled and tripled with two RBIs

 GAME INFORMATION
Score: Butler 12, Boston College 10
Records: Butler (4-7) vs. Boston College (9-2)
Location: Port Charlotte, Fla.

BC HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior Joe Cronin led the way for the Eagles with a 2-for-3 performance, launching a double and triple, scoring two runs, driving in two more and extending his on-base streak to 11 games.
• Junior Johnny Adams extended his on-base streak to a team-long 16 games on a 2-for-5 afternoon with an RBI.
• Junior Michael Strem extended his hit streak to six games while senior Logan Hoggarth made it five games and added two RBIs.
• Freshman Jack Nelson stopped the bleeding for the Eagles on the mound, coming on in relief and throwing 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball. The righty gave up just three hits and struck out a career-high three.
• Freshman Dominic Hardaway notched his first career RBIs by leading the way with three on a 2-for-5 afternoon, scoring one run.

KEY PLAYS

• Down by one, the Eagles managed to retake the lead, 7-5, in the top of the fourth, but the Bulldogs' bats came alive and they scored seven runs on six hits to go up, 12-7.
• The Eagles managed to get three back in the fifth and sixth and Nelson and redshirt sophomore RHP Bobby Skogsbergh quieted the Butler hitters, but BC could not over the deficit.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Eagles scored four runs in the second to take an early lead. Cronin led off with a double to left center and senior Stephen Sauter – who went 3-for-5 with two runs – singled to put runners on the corners. Hoggarth chopped one to short to plate the first run of the game. Sophomore Mitch Bigras – who also turned in a 3-for-5 day – singled to right to load the bases and Hardaway laced one up the middle to score two. With two down and Bigras on third, Adams grounded to short and Garrett Christman could not handle the ball, allowing Bigras to score before the end of the inning.
• The Bulldogs took the lead in the bottom of the inning, scoring five runs all with two outs. With runners on first and second, Gehrig Parker lined one toward short. Adams got his glove on the ball but could not come up with it, allowing a run in. A single to center loaded the bases and Jordan Lucio cleared them with a triple. Chris Maranto plated Lucio with a base hit. After giving up a bunt single, freshman starter Thomas Lane ended the inning with a fly ball.
• The Eagles retook the lead in the fourth, scoring three to make it a 7-5 game. Sauter led off with a single, advanced on a wild pitch and moved to third on a grounder to first off Bigras' bat that Lucio could not field. With BC runners on the corners, Hardaway knocked a base hit through the left side to plate a run and sophomore Jake Palomaki followed with a chopper to first to score another. Adams then laced one through the gap between third and short to score Hardaway and give BC the two-run lead.
• Butler answered in the bottom of the inning, scoring seven off three different BC pitchers. After sophomore left-handed Carmen Giampetruzzi threw a 123 third, he could not muster an out in the fourth. Drew Small led off with a double and Parker brought him home on a base hit up the middle. Parker moved up to second on Tyler Houston's single and scored when Lucio hit a ground-rule double. Freshman righty John Witkowski came in the game and with runners on second and third, threw a wild pitch to allow the go-ahead run to come in.  Two walks loaded the bases and a run scored when the Eagles put two outs on the board with a 643 double play.  A passed ball scored the 10^th Bulldog run and Michael Hartnagel's double plated another run. Nelson replaced Witkowski and gave up an RBI single before ending the fourth with a strikeout.
• The Eagles got a run back in the fifth to make it 12-8. With one down, Cronin drew a four-pitch walk and Sauter single to right to put runners at the corners. Hoggarth grounded one to first to score Cronin and all runners were safe with Lucio's throw was too low to second to make an out. Bigras loaded the bases with his second hit, but a 643 double play ended BC's threat.
• BC got two in the sixth with two down off new pitcher RHP Tyler Rathjen. Strem and Casey tallied back-to-back singles and Cronin drove them in with a triple to the corner in left – the fourth of his career. A fly ball to right ended the inning.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Eagles did not make an error for the sixth time in 2016.
• The 15 hits and 12 runs allowed were the most this season surrendered by BC.
• The last time the Eagles gave up 12 runs or more was against Clemson on April 10, 2015 in a 15-6 loss.
• Skogsbergh faced the minimum number of batters for the third time in four appearances this season. In three of his four outings, he has retired the side.

UP NEXT
The Eagles play their final game in the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla., against Central Michigan on Tuesday, March 8 at 2:30 p.m.