STORRS, Conn. — The Boston College Baseball team took to the diamond for the team’s second fall ball game of the season. The Eagles took down the UConn Huskies 8-7. Julio Solier led the way for the Maroon & Gold with three hits and a 390-foot home run.
The Eagles got on the board first in the second inning after Will Matuszak drew a walk and Brodey Bitove drove him home with a line-drive double. Just one inning later, Solier singled in between Gus Gregory and Ty Mainolfi walks. Mainolfi was able to draw his walk after fouling off three full-count pitches. Colin Larson then hit a 319-foot sacrifice fly to score Gregory. UConn went to the bullpen, but after a wild pitch, another run came home for the Eagles.
UConn tied the game at three in the fourth inning, but Solier hit a 102 mph double to lead off the inning. Mainolfi then followed up with a 104 mph single to put BC back in front.
With one out in the seventh inning, Solier crushed a 390-foot solo home run that was 108 mph off the bat. Mainolfi tripled and scored on a Larson single.
Catcher Nick Quagliato singled and Esteban Garcia reached on an error. Patrick Connors got on base after a bunt fielder’s choice as the Eagles loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth inning. Two ground balls from Gregory and Solier scored another pair of runs, which was just enough as UConn scored four more runs in the bottom half of the inning. The Eagles were able to prevail 8-7.
Offensive Statistics:
-
Julio Solier (3-for-5, HR, double, 2 RBI): Solier was the engine of the lineup, reaching in three of BC’s five scoring innings. His seventh-inning homer left the bat at 108 mph and traveled 390 feet, the hardest-hit ball of the day for either team. He added a 102 mph double in the fifth and an RBI groundout in the eighth.
-
Ty Mainolfi (2-for-3, triple, 2 BB, RBI): Mainolfi reached base four times. Both of his hits were rockets: a 104 mph go-ahead single in the fifth and a 103 mph, 373-foot triple in the seventh. His eight-pitch walk in the third loaded the bases for the Eagles’ first multi-run inning.
-
Colin Larson (1-for-4, 2 RBI): Larson drove in runs in the third (sacrifice fly) and seventh (RBI single). He also hit the ball hard when it didn’t fall, with a 102 mph lineout in the second and a 361-foot flyout in the fifth.
Pitching and Defense:
The Eagles pitching staff was dominant once again to open the game. They threw seven scoreless innings, allowing 10 hits and four walks while striking out 12. Four Eagles made their first appearance of the fall, and Champ Davis earned the win as Brayden Ryan picked up the save.
Pitching and Defensive Statistics:
-
JJ Drennan (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K): Drennan was sharp in his second start of the fall. Throwing just 20 pitches for two scoreless frames, with 75 percent of them being strikes, his fastball averaged 96 mph and topped out at 98.3. Drennan’s 2,700 rpm slider produced all four of his swinging strikes.
-
Champ Davis (1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K) — WIN. In his fall and Eagles debut, Davis came on with runners on base in the fourth inning and stranded the Huskies. He only needed 13 pitches to record five outs. He pounded the zone with an 84 mph sinker, with 69 percent being strikes.
-
Gavin Soares (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K): Soares worked a scoreless sixth in his first outing, sitting 93–95 mph with his fastball. His curveball was the swing-and-miss pitch, drawing four whiffs on five at-bats.
-
Matt Kouser (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K): Kouser kept UConn off the board in the seventh inning in his fall and Eagles debut, mixing a 91 mph fastball with an 87 mph cutter and two breaking balls.
-
Brayden Ryan (1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K) — SAVE. Ryan entered a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and recorded the final five outs, three by strikeout, to close out his first appearance as an Eagle. His 90 mph cutter drew five swinging strikes, and his fastball reached 96 mph.
Up Next: The Eagles return to fall action at 1 p.m. on Oct. 10 against Hofstra at the Eddie Pellagrini Diamond. Boston College’s contest against Hofstra is the team’s lone home game of the fall slate.
