University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Boston College
Minutemen Drop 11-10 Heartbreaker to BC In Twelve Innings
April 26, 2006 | Baseball
April 26, 2006
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Massachusetts baseball team (9-20, 7-8 Atlantic 10) was defeated by Boston College (22-21, 5-16 ACC) 11-10 in 12 innings on Wednesday afternoon. The teams combined for 22 runs on 25 hits in the slugfest, including 15 runs on 13 hits through the first three frames. Ryan Franczek led the UMass batters going 2-5 with two runs scored and a RBI. He also extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games. Eagle leadoff man Johnny Ayers was 2-5 with a run scored and a RBI.
With the game deadlocked at 10-10 in the bottom of the 12th, Minuteman reliver David Sullivan (Winchester, Mass.) retired the first two Eagles with ease bringing Pete Frates to the plate. Frates turned Sullivan's first offering, sending it over the right field fence for the game-winning walk off home run as the Eagles won 11-10. Sullivan worked 1.2 innings allowing just one run on two hits to take the loss, falling to 2-5. Dave Preziosi was the winning pitcher for Boston College.
UMass led 10-9 entering the ninth inning but Preziosi reached on a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt. First basemen Eric Campbell stepped up to the plate with one away and singled through the right side of the infield to tie the game at 10-10 and forced extra innings.
Trailing 8-7 in the eighth, the Minutemen rallied back after four innings of stagnant offensive production. Sophomore Franczek and junior Lou Proietti (Hamilton, Ont.) reached to begin the inning. Freshman Adam Tempesta (Brockton, Mass.) followed with a single up the middle plating both Franczek and Proietti as UMass took back the lead at 9-8. The Minutemen added an insurance run on junior Bill Rankin's (Willington, Conn.) infield single with the bases loaded, making it 10-8. Tempesta was 1-4 on the afternoon with a run scored and three RBI.
The Minutemen got a gutsy relief outing from Mitchell Eilenberg. Making just his second appearance of the year, the righty strung together 7.1 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits with one strikeout. After struggling through the third inning where he allowed five runs, Eilenberg only allowed two runs over the final five innings.
The Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first, but the Minutemen exploded for seven runs in the top half of the second inning. Joe Cotone (Yorktown, N.Y.) got the rally started, delivering a one-out RBI single up the middle to cut the Eagle advantage to 3-1. The Minutemen got two more runs on RBI singles by Rankin and Franczek, tying the game 3-3.
UMass pulled ahead on a two-run RBI single by Proietti making it 5-3. UMass added two more runs on a scarifice fly by Tempesta and an error by Campbell at second base as the Minutemen left the inning with a 7-3 advantage. UMass has now scored seven runs in an inning twice this season, the first time coming on April 8 against Duquesne.
The Eagles reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the third as they scored five runs in the frame. Eilenberg got into trouble early on, loading the bases to begin the inning. A pair of singles, a hit batsman and a walk brought in four runs for BC, tying the game at 7-7. The Eagles finally claimed the lead on a RBI sacrifice fly by McGuire putting Boston College ahead 8-7.
The Minutemen return to action Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. as they host Temple in the first game of a three-game set. Fans unable to make it to Earl Lorden Field will be able to listen live on the internet or follow along with Gametracker via umassathletics.com. Be sure to check back to umassathletics.com after the game for a complete recap and updated stats.
