BC Splits Final Two Games With Duke

By SouraBh gokarn Copy Editor

Despite boasting a record 13 games above .500, it’s rarely been smooth sailing for No. 11 Boston College baseball this season.

“I think not many of them have just been smooth sailing … it doesn’t seem like there were many, like, wire-towire, we’ve got the lead all the way through wins,” BC head coach Mike Gambino said.

The Eagles have seen everything from early deficits, midweek slugfests against nonconference opponents, and stunning comebacks. By weathering this adversity-ridden storm, a distinct identity, characterized by resilience, has emerged for this BC team.

BC’s resiliency was again tested this past weekend against Duke, as the Eagles fell into early holes in both of their weekend contests. While BC (24–11, 9–9 Atlantic Coast) overcame a five-run deficit on Saturday to beat the Blue Devils (23–12, 9–8) 9–6, the Eagles couldn’t muster enough offensive firepower on Sunday, falling by a final score of 6–2.

Sunday’s loss marked BC’s first home series loss of the season, but the weekend came with another milestone. On Saturday, underneath a pristine spring sky, 2,535 fans packed the stands and lined the outfield hill, setting a Harrington Athletics Village attendance record, according to BC Athletics.

“This has never happened here before,” Gambino said on Saturday. “Their head coach talked about [how] this was a great college baseball atmosphere yesterday, and that it affected and rattled their players. There’s never been a real crowd home field advantage in the history of this program. And that’s because of the student body and alumni coming out. The students need to know how special and important that is.”

The Blue Devils wasted no time offensively on Sunday, as Alex Mooney launched a leadoff double. Alex Stone drove him in two at-bats later via an RBI groundout for a 1–0 Duke lead.

BC starter John West ran into some more trouble in the fourth inning, surrendering a pair of runs to put the Blue Devils ahead 3–0. Duke’s starter Ryan Higgins, meanwhile, cruised through five innings