May 19, 2017
By Michael Scholl
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — With the temperatures heating up in Boston, so were the bats as Notre Dame and Boston College played a wild one, with the Eagles winning a 10-9 decision to capture the series. The Irish will look to rebound and win game three on Saturday.
Eric Feliz and Cole Daily each went 3-for-4. Feliz had three RBI and a homer while scoring three runs. Daily scored twice. Jake Shepski was 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run, while Jake Johnson had three RBI. Nick Podkul went 2-for-5 with a homer.
Boston College was paced by its leadoff hitter, Jake Palomaki who homered twice while going 4-for-5 with three RBI. Gian Martellini and Jacob Yish each knocked in a pair, as well. Yish and Michael Strem also homered for the Eagles.
Key Innings
Top Second
The Irish used a big inning to jump out to a 4-0 lead. Daily started with a leadoff single before Eric Gilgenbach went down swinging. Daniel Jung picked it back up, singled through the right side. Feliz doubled home Daily, putting runners on second and third before Shepski singled home Feliz and Jung. Podkul kept it going with a double before Johnson hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Shepski and making it 4-0.
Bottom Third
The hosts used a big inning of their own to draw even. Yish started with a solo shot to left before Brian Dempsey singled up the middle and Palomaki hit another homer to left, cutting the Irish lead to 4-3. After a pair of flyouts, Martellini and Jake Alu hit back-to-back doubles to tie the game, 4-4.
Top Fourth
Three pitches later, the Irish regained the lead when Podkul hit a no-doubt solo home run to left to lead off the fourth and make it 5-4 Notre Dame.
Top Fifth
Small ball helped the Irish extend the lead. Daily started the frame with a beautiful bunt that drew the first baseman in and Daily beat the pitcher, Dan Metzdorf, to the bag. After a couple of pop outs, Feliz dumped a ball down the left-field line for a double, scoring daily. Shepski drew a two-out walk before Podkul was hit by a pitch. Johnson then drove a single to right-center, scoring Shepski and Feliz. After Matt Vierling was intentionally walked to load the bases, Lidge hit a liner to center which was caught on a diving effort by the centerfielder. The Irish took an 8-4 lead to the bottom of the fifth.
Bottom Fifth
The Eagles came roaring back. Dempsey started the fifth with a single before Palomaki drove a homer to left to cut the Irish lead to 8-6. Mik Aoki called Sean Guenther from the pen and Donovan Casey greeted him with a single to left. Michael Strem hit a groundball to second, but Podkul first bobbled it, then tried to just get the batter and threw it away, putting runners at second and third. Martellini singled to right, scoring two runs to tie the game. After a groundout, Guenther walked Johnny Adams before Yish delivered a single to center, scoring Martellini and giving BC a 9-8 lead.
Top Seventh
Miraculously, neither team scored in the sixth, the first time since the first inning that a full inning didn’t see either team score. The Irish then tied the game in the seventh when Eric Feliz drove a solo shot to left to start the inning. That would be all the scoring and the teams went to the stretch tied 9-9.
Bottom Eighth
Boston College broke the tie in the eighth. After a fly out to open the inning, Strem drilled a 2-1 pitch to left, putting the Eagles ahead for good, 10-9.
On Deck
Notre Dame and Boston College play regular season game 56 on Saturday at 1 p.m. Fans can listen on WatchND and 103.1 FM in South Bend.
— ND —
Michael Scholl joined Fighting Irish Media in August 2016, coordinating communications for the baseball program and assisting with the football team at his alma mater. The South Bend native earned a degree in political science from the College of Arts & Letters in 2009 before going on to work in athletics communications at Providence College, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati.